DBH: Value of Life
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: An expected series of events brings an innocent life into Connor's world. As he strives to keep a helpless baby feeling loved and protected unexpected emotions begin to develop inside of his blossoming heart, and with it comes a desire and urge to fight to keep the baby a part of his life. What is the price someone is willing to pay for a family? How far would you go?
1. Burning Ambitions

An abandoned rundown house on the seedier side of the city that had been suspected of housing a 'red ice' ring had become engulfed in a raging blaze proving that the suspicions were in fact true. As the potentially toxic smoke filled the air the fire department and police department were summoned to the scene of the fire, and as the city's reputed 'red ice' expert Lieutenant Hank Anderson had been summoned to the fire as well. With Connor, the android who had been sent by CyberLife to hunt deviants only to deviate and aid in the Revolution, at his side Hank pulled his old but reliable Oldsmobile Cutlass up to the scene of the burning house with every intention of tracking down the arsonist, the drug dealers and any witnesses who could provide a statement on the night's odd event.

"Damn it." Swearing loudly as he put the car into park and opened up his driver's side door Hank stood beside the vehicle and watched as the fire department fought to douse the yellow and orange flames greedily consuming the decrepit and abandoned two story house at a frightening pace. "If there was anything inside that house worth baggin' and taggin' for evidence it's gone now..."

Joining Hank outside of the vehicle Connor ran a scan over the blazing structure which turned his normally blue L.E.D. glowing in his right temple to a vibrant amber as his processors recorded numerous detail regarding the blaze itself. "The fire is burning at 2,014 degrees Fahrenheit. I can detect an accelerant of gasoline that had been poured in such a way it encircled the house before-" Connor's brow suddenly furrowed and his yellow L.E.D. flashed to red as he took a step toward the property. "Someone's trapped inside!"

"What?" Turning to face Connor as the deviant stood at his side Hank's blue eyes went wide with fear. "What do you-" Before he could even get the question out of his mouth Hank found himself making a failed grab for Connor's left shoulder as the deviant took off in a full sprint toward the burning house. "C-Connor?! Get back!"

Without breaking stride or hesitation Connor passed through the line of fire engines parked at a distance in front of the burning house and rushed through the smoldering front door of the flaming building. Ignoring the dozens of warnings popping up in his visual processors regarding the danger of the extreme heat, the structural instability, the toxic air and of his own core temperature beginning to climb at a frighteningly rapid rate Connor used his scanner to hone in on the weak human vital signs he had managed to just barely detect from outside the burning house.

"Hello?!" Calling out as loudly as he could Connor knelt down on the floor and ran another scan over the property in search of the trapped victim. Peering through the thickening dark smoke Connor tried to track down the trapped person to get to them before it was too late for them to be saved. "I'm a detective and I'm here to help you! Answer me!"

There was no vocal response beyond that of a weakened whimper and a faint cry that was barely audible over the loud crackling of the burning building that Connor had ventured into. Trailing the sound to a small bedroom just down the narrow smokey hallway Connor remained low and crawled down the hallway to the bedroom as quickly as he could.

"I'm here!" Entering the unfurnished bedroom Connor called out again and heard a small sound coming from the far corner of the room that had a mass of old rags and sheets piled up in a small mountain. "I'm going to get you outside. Do not panic."

Reaching out his right hand toward the mountain of ragged fabric Connor sifted through the material until he found the person in need of his rescue.

Soulful brown eyes went wide as the red L.E.D. flickered rapidly in tandem with his racing Thirium pump; his heart, then immediately returned to a normal pace as Connor resumed calm focus on his mission at hand.

"...Don't worry."

Shifting his weight to kneel down beside the pile of rags Connor shrugged off his gray CyberLife jacket and used it as a protective wrap to keep the helpless victim safe from the intense flames steadily eating through the walls and floor all around the bedroom. From above a portion of the smoldering roof suddenly broke free and would've dropped on the bundle of rags if Connor hadn't used his left forearm to physically deflect the burning projectile.

The deflection came with a heavy price as the smoldering plaster wrapped around Connor's forearm and quickly burned through the fabric of his shirt's sleeve, the artificial skin beneath and even began to warp and crack the plastimetal frame due to the intense and concentrated heat.

"Ah!" Shaking off the burning plaster from his affected limb Connor pulled the damaged limb in close to his chest and breathed painfully through his clenched teeth for a moment before he pushed aside his pain to save the person who truly needed help. Focusing on the victim entirely Connor finished wrapping his jacket around their person and carefully scooped them up and into his arms to carry to safety. "I'll save you..."

* * *

Standing beside the fire engine with his left hand pressed to his hip and his right hand pressed to his forehead Hank anxiously paced about as he stared at the burning house and waited for any sign of Connor's return from the lethal inferno burning just a few yards away. Having no choice but to wait and hope that the selfless and fearless deviant would be able to find his way back out of the burning building and return to safety before sustaining any permanent, if not lethal, damage from the merciless fire before he made his escape Hank felt his heart rapidly beating with pure adrenaline.

"Come on, kid." Muttering impatiently to himself as he anxiously waited for any sign of his impulsive partner to emerge from the flames Hank wasn't sure if he would hug Connor or slap him as soon as they were reunited. Glancing at the firefighters working to douse the relentless flames under hundreds of gallons of water at a time Hank sighed and gave a slight shake of his head. "You're a detective, not a firefighter. You should've told_ them_ to find whoever's in there... That's what_ they_ get paid for!"

There was a loud groan as the roof of the burning house collapsed inward and effectively destroyed the second floor under an intense wall of fire. The windows shattered and the entire building swayed on its foundation as the intense shaking of the collapse threatened to cause the entire house to implode in a cloud of dust, ash and flames.

"Fuck... Come on, Connor!" Shouting into the open air Hank could feel himself beginning to tremble from righteous fear. "Get your ass out of there!"

A massive rush of movement through the flaming front door of the burning house made Hank jump as he eyed a humanoid figure rushing from the blaze and over to the fire engines in search of safety. The white dress shirt that had been exposed to the flames and smoke had been stained gray and black from the clinging ash, as small holes had been burned into the fabric over Connor's back and shoulders, and a large hole had been burned through the sleeve of Connor's left forearm.

As the disheveled deviant made his way over to Hank, his hair and artificial skin just as messy and ashy as his shirt, Connor breathed slowly and deeply to try to cool off his overheating core and try to calm his racing heart. Standing before Hank with his L.E.D. still glowing red and his arms wrapped protectively around the bundle enshrouded in his gray jacket up against his chest Connor stared at his partner and sighed deeply.

"...Hank, I-" A sudden and expected slap to the left side of his face silenced Connor as he endured the impatient strike without protest. He fully understood Hank's reaction and didn't take it personally. "...I'm okay."

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Shouting loudly enough to pull the attention of firefighters and paramedics from the fire and to the two detectives Hank reprimanded Connor for being so damn reckless. The anger came from Hank's paternal side more than his professional side as he often saw Connor as a kid first and a detective second whenever he did anything foolish. "You could've been killed!"

"And she would've perished if I had chosen to not locate her."

"What? Who?" Finally calming down himself Hank took a step back from the deviant and looked about the area curiously. "Who is this 'her'?"

Connor carefully removed his gray jacket from around the bundle in his arms and showed Hank the ashen and smudged face of a tiny newborn baby girl who was uncommonly quiet and lethargic. "This is the 'her' to whom I was referring."

"Holy..." Peering down at the tiny baby that Connor had rescued Hank's entirely aggressive body language softened from a gruff detective and into the kind father he had always been. "You... You just saved her life!"

"She still requires medical attention." Coughing a little Connor walked over to the nearby ambulance with Hank right at his side and quickly caught the eye of a paramedic who had been made aware of Connor's bold little stunt thanks to Hank's shouting. "She hasn't suffered any burns," the deviant announced as he followed the paramedic's directions and climbed into the opened back of the ambulance to gently place the newborn down on the gurney for comfort, treatment and eventual transport. "but I fear she breathed in smoke and possibly other toxins in the air due to the abundance of various materials that had been consumed by the flames."

"You require attention, too." Hank pointed out as he peeled back the damaged fabric of Connor's dress shirt from his shoulders, and then did the same for the practically destroyed sleeve from his left forearm. The flames had damaged the limb enough to cause the deviant's artificial skin to completely degenerate and the white plastimetal frame of the limb to openly crack and warp from the heat induced damage. "That looks nasty."

"The baby is the priority." Connor remarked as he sat on the bench beside the gurney while the paramedic sat on the bench on the opposite side of the gurney to check the newborn's vital signs. Peeling back his jacket a little more Connor exposed the newborn's recently tied off and cut umbilical cord as he lightly put his right palm down on her chest and retracted his artificial skin as he ran a more direct scan on her body. "...She was born just over an hour ago."

Hank swore as he took in the baby's appearance and felt a piece of his heart break. "Damn it." The newborn was a little girl with both of her parents being of Caucasian descent. She had dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. As the paramedic slipped a tiny oxygen mask over her equally tiny face the newborn began to cry a little as her lungs started to clear of the smoke and she regained some modicum of strength. "We'll escort her to the hospital and see if anyone exhibiting a recent birth without actually having their baby was admitted within the hour."

"Agreed." Retracting his touch Connor watched as the paramedic placed what appeared to be the oversized bell from his stethoscope against the newborn baby's chest to listen to her breathing and heartbeat. "Whomever is responsible for this baby being left in the abandoned building must be charged with attempted infanticide."

"Infanticide?" The term made Hank's flesh crawl and he didn't want to ever hear that word for any reason. "That might be a stretch, Connor."

"The blaze was the result of arson and the baby was hidden beneath highly flammable materials. There was no one else inside the house," the deviant paused as he coughed a little more to clear his own ventilation biocomponents of toxic smoke and continued his oral report. "and there were no furnishings within the house. The house had been long since deserted which means whoever started the fire put the baby inside before setting the blaze. It may be possible that just prior to the arsonist targeting the house she had been abandoned inside by someone else and the arsonist didn't know she was inside; but I highly doubt it. Regardless of the circumstances leading up to the fire and her discovery the people who are responsible for her situation need to be charged."

"You're right." Dragging his right hand over his bearded chin Hank stared at the crying newborn on the gurney as Connor hovered protectively over her and the paramedic worked to check her vitals to get her as stable as possible. "I'll meet you at the hospital and we'll file a report on this fire and report the abandoned baby. We'll take up the lead on the investigation."

"Thank you, Hank."

"I'll see you in a few minutes." Closing the rear doors of the ambulance Hank smacked his left hand on the side of the emergency vehicle twice to signal for the driver to go ahead and take off for the hospital. As he watched the ambulance drive away with the lights flashing and sirens blaring Hank sighed and turned to look at the ruins of the smoldering house that had only been partially extinguished, just as the second floor failed and collapsed into the first floor with a thunderous crash. "...Good work, son. You saved a life tonight."

* * *

The ride to the hospital thankfully remained uneventful as Connor escorted the rescued newborn from the rear of the ambulance and into the emergency examination room alongside the attending paramedic. After the paramedic relayed the baby's vital signs to the attending doctors and nurses Connor informed them of the toxic materials he had encountered in the burning house during the rescue to ensure the baby had the best care possible. With the additional information the medical staff could treat the baby for not just smoke inhalation, but run blood tests to check for toxic exposure and potentially find a biological lead to her birth parents if either parent had their D.N.A. already on record for whatever reason.

"May I ask where she will be taken after she has been treated?" Connor asked with a sincere curiosity and unexplainable need to continue to look after the baby and to protect her. "My partner and I are going to handle the case and locate her parents, as well the person responsible for abandoning her in the house before it was set ablaze."

"She'll be taken up to the N.I.C.U. for observation after she's cleaned up." The doctor stated professionally as he checked over the baby's vital signs, and found her to be stable despite everything she had just survived. "We're also going to give her fluids and a very small of dose of antibiotics to help her fight off any potential infections from being exposed to the smoke and hazardous materials from the burning structure."

"May I stay in the hospital with her?"

"Pardon?"

"If the baby's mother has been admitted to this hospital, or could possibly be admitted in the near future, I'd like to be in the hospital to interview her and get some answers. Being close to the baby will increase my odds of success." Staying back against the far wall of the exam room Connor watched as the nurses tended to the baby with gentle touches to clean the ashy smudges from her delicate skin and to keep her from developing an infection. "I'd also like the opportunity to examine the baby more closely so I can run a potential paternal or maternal facial construction and identify at least one of her parents if said parent already has an arrest record."

"As long as you don't accidentally crowd the N.I.C.U. I don't see why not. But," motioning toward Connor's left forearm the doctor noted that the deviant had suffered some damage as well, not to mention he was covered in ash and smelled like smoke which could be a hazard. "you need to get cleaned up, and have your forearm tended to."

Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as he looked down at his affected left arm and ran a self-diagnostic. "It's not serious."

"No, but it looks rough. We have a nurse who works as a technician as well. She can get your arm taken care of, and we'll get you some hospital scrubs to wear after you shower off and get yourself cleaned up."

"Of course." As he ran another scan over his own palms Connor noted the numerous contaminants he had accidentally picked up during his journey through the burning house to locate and rescue the baby. He desperately needed to shower off before he accidentally caused a contamination. "...Sanitation is crucial."

* * *

It didn't take long for word of Connor's heroic feat to spread though the precinct and for every available officer to provide their assistance in locating the people responsible for abandoning the baby, and starting the fire. While Hank took up the lead on the investigation, and with Captain Fowler's permission, he began checking through hospital records regarding new mothers and unusual circumstances regarding their admission, or their newborns. Fortunately nothing criminal stood out, but unfortunately it left him with a dead end and no leads to follow whatsoever.

"Shit. Nothing seems to line up with the baby being abandoned." Rubbing his left hand over the back of his tense neck Hank sighed and turned off his terminal screen as he made notes on the electronic tablet sitting atop his desk. "It was either a home birth without complications, or the mother left the city to get medical attention somewhere else after she had the baby here."

"No luck?" Captain Fowler asked as he joined Hank at the Lieutenant's desk and sighed as well as he handed Hank a mug of fresh coffee.

Accepting the coffee Hank took a long and grateful sip before he replied. "Not yet."

"I take it Connor is still at the hospital with the baby, right?"

"Yup. The kid sent me a message about an hour ago that he was going to stay in the hospital and attempt to find the baby's parentage with his weird scanner thingy or some shit, and he wanted to stay close by in case the baby's mother gets admitted as a patient."

"Good, that could make things easier. What do you know about the fire?"

"Fire department confirmed that the fire was started by an arsonist. They used gasoline as a cheap and common accelerant, circled the house and left a trail of gas from the center of the house and leading out the front door to the front walk. There's no way the fire was accidental, and since the arsonist entered the house to lay the trail of gasoline then that means they would've been aware of the baby inside the house. Newborn's aren't quiet, especially if they're only an hour old and have been neglected since minute one."

"Damn." The senior officers both had soft spots toward kids, and anything regarding an abandoned baby always got them to the core. Considering the baby was abandoned and nearly killed in a fire the two seasoned detectives were ready to start a manhunt to find the person or persons responsible, and take justice into their own hands. "Do what you gotta' do to find a lead, Hank."

"Trust me, Jeffrey. I'm doing everything that I can." Taking another sip of the coffee before he sat the mug back down on his desk top. "I just need Connor to go back out the burned house with me once the scene has been cleared so he can see the shit we humans can't see. If I can't find a lead then I know for damn sure that he will."

* * *

Wearing a set of dark teal scrubs after showering off the smoke, ash and other possible contaminants from all over his person Connor was given a visitor's pass and clearance badge due to his status as a detective, and promptly shown to the N.I.C.U. where the baby had been admitted for treatment. Brandishing thick white gauze over his burned left forearm that stretched from his wrist to his elbow Connor looked much better than he had been when he arrived at the hospital with the baby, but still needed the chance to clean up and change into his usual uniform once he was able to go home.

Hovering over the plastic incubator that was keeping the baby warm as she rested on the soft padding with a nasal canula under her nose and an I.V. started in her heavily bandaged left foot to give her fluids, nutrients and mild antibiotics to keep infections at bay, Connor ran a scan over the tiny baby and continued to cybernetically file his report on her and her condition. Little evidence had been salvaged after the fire which meant the case would progress slowly, but as long as the baby lived Connor would be okay with a slow pace.

As the baby began to perk up she started to cry a little and seemed incredibly uncomfortable where she was laying.

"Poor thing." A kind nurse who had clearly been working N.I.C.U. for a majority of her career entered the space and checked on the baby's vitals that were being recorded on a nearby monitor that was wirelessly attached to the baby with a single sensor pad on her chest. She peered down at the baby's face and gave her a sweet smile. "It's amazing she survived."

"Yes. I'm glad I was able to detect her presence in the fire."

"You're the android detective, right?"

Connor looked up at the nurse and turned his head slightly to the left so she could see his blue L.E.D. glowing in his right temple. "Correct. My name is Connor."

"I'm so happy to know that we have fearless and dedicated detectives still working with us." As the baby continued to cry the nurse opened the small window on the left side of the incubator and gently rubbed her hand along the baby's chest in a comforting manner. "Someone this small and innocent needs people like you to look after her."

"...She seems stable." Confused by the baby's discomfort Connor tried to understand why she was upset. "Why is she crying?"

"Well, newborns normally begin to bond with their parents and spend the first few hours, if not few days, of their lives cuddling with their parents and being held almost all the time. She didn't have that chance so I think she's feeling scared and neglected."

"She's not being neglected any longer."

"Being cared for in a hospital isn't the same as being cared for by a parent."

"...Oh."

"Do you have any experience with children?"

Shaking his head a little Connor admitted his experiences with children was incredibly limited and practically nonexistent. "No." A louder cry made his blue L.E.D. flash to yellow as if feeling somehow responsible for the baby's distress. "...Until this particular event I had never encountered a human infant before."

"Open the window on your side of the incubator." The nurse instructed with a sly smirk on her face. "Let her hold your hand."

"Hold my hand?"

"I know it sounds silly and simple, but direct contact with other people does wonders for babies and makes them feel more secure."

Hesitant at first Connor slowly opened up the right side window of the incubator and placed his right hand inside beside the baby. Putting his palm under her right hand Connor made direct contact with the newborn, but she continued to cry.

"Let her grab onto your finger, Connor. Trust me." There was something absolutely warm in the way she spoke as she encouraged him to let the baby know he was still there. "She'll stop crying."

Slowly Connor moved his hand so his index finger was resting in the baby's right palm, and almost immediately she wrapped her tiny fingers around his finger and squeezed as tightly as she could. The gesture was met with quieter cries and in turn Connor's yellow L.E.D. returned to blue. As the baby tightened her hand around Connor's finger her tears dried and she looked up at Connor through the transparent top of the incubator as if she somehow recognized him.

"See?" The nurse beamed as she pulled her hand away and closed the small window on her side of the incubator. "She likes you and she trusts you."

"...I see." The direct contact with the newborn was a truly remarkable experience for the young deviant. "Interesting."

"Why don't you stay here and keep her company while we keep looking into any new mothers being admitted under 'strange circumstances' downstairs? It's a quiet night and she shouldn't be alone."

"O-Oh, of course. I can remain with her and maintain contact with the precinct through my cybernetic relay."

"Good. Hopefully we'll find a way to help 'baby Jane Doe' here as soon as possible."

Giving the nurse an odd glance Connor questioned the term. "...'Jane Doe'?"

"That's the standard name given for unknown persons, you know that."

"Yes, I'm aware. But it seems so... impersonal."

"Well, what should we call her then?"

"I... I don't know." There was something unsettling about the baby not having a real name of her own, and only a default name applied to all people without a confirmed identity. "But she is not 'Jane Doe'."

"You've never named anyone before, have you?"

"No. Names are strange to select, and I don't understand the human logistics behind selecting names."

"For most parents they name their children after friends or family members if they can't choose a name they like. Maybe that could help you choose."

"Me? ...Why should I be the one to name her?"

"You said so yourself, 'Jane Doe' is too impersonal. And you're right, she deserves a real name." Giving the deviant a coy smirk the nurse was deeply intrigued by how Connor was interacting with the newborn, and how he seemed to develop a strange paternal need to protect her. "Go ahead and pick something for her. It might help her case gain some additional traction if she has a real name and not just a case number."

Closing his eyes for a moment Connor researched thousands of names and their meanings and opened his eyes as an appropriate name finally seemed to come forward. "...Hannah." Rubbing his thumb gently over top of the tiny baby's fingers Connor looked down at her and confirmed her name with a sense of unbreakable confidence in his words. "Her name is Hannah."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	2. Sifting Through the Ashes

Nursing his third cup of coffee Hank sent a text to Connor letting the deviant know that he was on his way to the hospital to pick him up, and he checked over the confirmed details from the arson investigator still at the scene of the burned down house. Everything pointed directly to arson as the cause of the blaze, but there were no fingerprints to use to identify the criminal, or any sign of a vehicle in the area to potentially trail after the arsonist. The only way to find a lead was to go back to the scene of the fire and take a direct look, and hope some piece of evidence did in fact survive the inferno.

The drive to the hospital was boring and quiet, which was a great drive in Hank's mind, but arriving at a hospital in general was still unsettling. Finishing off his cup of coffee Hank tossed the now empty cup into the backseat of the vehicle where it gathered among the other empty cups and old fast food bags, and proceeded to put the car into park after arriving at the hospital parking lot.

Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank called Connor and was immediately answered as the deviant received the call cybernetically. "Hey, kid."

'_Hello, Hank_.'

"Where are you?"

'_I am currently in the N.I.C.U. performing a scan to attempt to build a facial construction of the_-'

"Why aren't you waiting out front?" Hank asked impatiently as he walked toward the front doors and passed through the waiting room. Showing his badge to the nurse behind the large receptionist desk she responded with a nod, and handed him a visitor's and clearance badge as he made his way toward the elevator at the end of the corridor. "We need to get back out to the burned house and look for evidence."

'_Yes, I'm aware_. _I just received word that the arsonist investigator has confirmed arson and gasoline as the used accelerant_.'

"Yeah, no fingerprints or D.N.A. could be found, so we need your special android eyes to check things out for us." Pressing his left thumb to the call button on the elevator's panel Hank stepped inside the partially filled elevator car and readied himself to end the call. "I'll meet you at the N.I.C.U. so don't go anywhere."

'_Very well, but it might be a while_.'

"We don't have 'a while', kid. Get ready to go." Ending the conversation Hank pocketed his phone and politely asked one of the nurses already in the elevator which floor he needed to go to. "Uh, which one is the N.I.C.U. floor?"

"I got you, hon." Pressing the correct floor on Hank's behalf the nurse just smiled and shook her head. "You're partners with the deviant detective, aren't you?"

"Yup. Is he hovering around too much?"

"Not at all. He's a real sweetheart and even offered to bring me coffee when I was about to head down for my break."

"Be careful when he offers you coffee." Crossing his arms defensively over his chest Hank watched as the numbers ticked up and waited for the elevator doors to part on the correct floor. "He doesn't add nearly enough sugar or sweetener to make it palatable. He keeps track of my health where I want him to or not, and won't hesitate to lecture me on the dangers of sugar."

"Sounds like he's a great partner to have."

"...Yeah. Most of the time anyway." The doors opened and Hank stepped out of the elevator with the nurse right beside him. "Do you know how his arm is doing? He got burned pretty badly."

"He has bandages on his arm, and one of our other nurses working here is also a technician, so he got Connor taken care of just fine after he showered off."

"That's good. He wasn't complaining about being in any pain, so I'm glad he wasn't seriously hurt."

As Hank accompanied the nurse to the N.I.C.U. the senior detective was surprised to see Connor standing protectively beside the incubator with his hand still holding onto the tiny newborn's hand, and swore he saw a strange glimmer in Connor's soulful brown eyes. Before Hank could say anything the deviant's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow for a moment as he turned to look directly and Hank and gave him a single nod.

"I'm ready to go."

"Good." Stepping aside Hank watched as the nurse resumed her vigil over the newborn and began checking her vitals for the hour. "Have you been here with the baby ever since she was admitted?"

"Not entirely. I needed to have my arm tended to and I needed to shower off."

"Uh-huh..."

"Mrs. Giles," Connor turned to look at the kind nurse as he stood more upright and slowly took his hand back from Hannah's hand, and closed the side window of the incubator without disturbing the tiny baby in the process. "will you call me if a young mother is admitted under unusual circumstances?"

"Yes, and please, call me Ada."

"Ada, then. Thank you."

"If you two can give us any information on this little one's parentage don't hesitate to call me first." Ada smiled as she whispered and took care of the tiny newborn with a deeply seeded maternal instinct in her gentle motions. "The sooner we can get her a medical history the better."

"Of course. I will attempt to return soon so I can to potentially find the birth mother."

Hank felt an odd sense of dread well up inside of himself as Connor joined him at the door of the room to depart from the hospital. "...Ready?"

"Yes. Is the arson investigator going to meet us at the crime scene?"

"No, she filed her report with the precinct and cleared the scene for us to investigate. All of the smoldering embers have been extinguished, and the air wasn't found to be toxic."

"Very well." Leading the way to the elevator Connor pressed his right palm over his left forearm where the bandages were still concealing his burned limb, and ran a quick self diagnostic. He was stable and healing well. "I'll keep in contact with the hospital and the other deviants in the city who may have seen someone in the vicinity of the crime scene before, during and after the initial fire who may be connected to the arson."

"Yeah, good plan. If anyone can give us a lead then that'll be a tremendous help."

* * *

The scene of the fire still smelt of the freshly burned wood and plaster, and a faint waft of dark smoke drifted up into the night sky into nothingness. The house had been burned to ash and left only tiny splinters of charred black wood on a completely destabilized foundation. The fire department had effectively doused the entire property and washed away whatever evidence could've survived the fire into useless mushy ash. With only the holographic police tape to bar potential trespassers or the arsonist from trying to make sure their tracks had been covered Hank and Connor easily passed through the holographic line to begin sifting through the burned rubble.

"Fuck, I'm glad you can see things." Hank grumbled as he used a bright L.E.D. flashlight to guide his footsteps over the still smoky and uneven terrain. "I doubt anything could've survived this fire."

"...Agreed." Connor's blue L.E.D. turned to yellow as he set about scanning the area and felt an unsettling knot form in his artificial stomach regarding the fact that Hannah could've in fact perished if Connor himself hadn't reacted in the way that he did. "...I am attempting to locate any sign of the arsonist, but their shoe prints have been destroyed by the fire or water."

"There weren't any cars reported in the area and none of the nearby houses have external security cameras pointed this way."

Using his right hand Connor pushed aside a large piece of broken charred wooden support beam, and led the way down the destroyed hallway and into the bedroom where he found the baby. "...The gasoline trail leads directly in here. The baby was there." Pointing to the destroyed corner where a pile of ashes and threads had turned to black debris Connor knelt down and ran a scan over the pile. "...She would've burned to death."

"Hey, she's okay." Standing behind Connor as the deaviant knelt beside the corner Hank patted Connor's shoulder twice in a comforting manner. "You got her out the house, got her to the hospital and you even stayed back to watch over her for a few hours. She's safe now."

"...I just wish I could continue to help her."

"You are, kid. Even if we can't find the arsonist or her parents you're still going to be a detective protecting the city."

"...I suppose."

"So, uh, can I ask why you were hanging out in the N.I.C.U. if you were there to check for any possible sign of the birth mother being admitted as a patient?"

"I've never been around children before." Responding quickly and honestly Connor continued his scan of the area but as expected any and all potential evidence had already been destroyed. "And I doubt I'd ever have the opportunity to be in the company of a newborn any time in the near future. Also," standing upright Connor turned to face Hank as he held up his right palm and showed Hank a holographic image of two faces; one male and one female, who could potentially be Hannah's birth parents. "I believe I've been able to construct a plausible depiction of the baby's biological parents based on the information I was able to gain just from being in close proximity to her."

"Let's see..." Taking a quick look at the images Hank tilted his head a little and gave the deviant a mild grimace. "Well, that might work. Can you give the parents different hair and eye color just to make sure all of the traits are covered?"

"Of course. I theorize the father is a brunette and the mother is blonde. The blue eyes could be permanent but from what I understand ninety-two percent of all Caucasian newborns initially have blue eyes, while five percent have green eyes, and three percent are born with brown eyes."

"Yeah, sure. Too bad you can't give us an age on the parents, too."

"Age?"

"Well, women from the ages of roughly twelve to fifty can have a baby, kid."

That information made Connor's yellow L.E.D. flash to red with sympathetic distress at the very idea of a child having their own child. "...So young?"

"It's sad but true. And the fathers can be just as young, if not younger, and just as old if not older. Looking at an age group for suspects could help narrow things down, but that doesn't seem possible."

"...Correct." Lowering his hand Connor began creating numerous other depictions of the two images to widen their very large suspect pool as he continued to trudge over the ruins of the house. Feeling more worried for the baby than previously before Connor could not longer concentrate on his task and instead asked Hank about children. "Hank, how can someone just abandon their own child in such a cold, heartless and cruel manner?"

Freezing in place with his posture visibly stiffening Hank gave Connor a wary glance as he let out a deep sigh. "I honestly don't know, Connor. And I hope I never do."

"I understand the concept of 'accidental' pregnancies and I understand the concept of giving a child up for adoption, as well as the safe delivery sites throughout the entire state of Michigan. Why not take the baby to the hospital, a fire station or a police station?"

"...Shame. Fear. Panic." Listing off the negative traits Hank put his hands to his hips as he glanced about the smoldering foundation and decided that it was a lost cause and a waste of time to try to look for something that had surely been destroyed, especially since they didn't even know what that 'something' even was. "I don't get it myself, but I try not to judge people for their decisions just because I don't agree with them."

"I suppose that's the proper way to look at the matter, but it doesn't help change things."

"Nope."

As his mouth ticked a little Connor looked back down at his right hand as he glanced at the potential images of the baby's parents, only to shift the image from them and to the baby herself. There was something about seeing the newborn baby sleeping safe and sound in the hospital's N.I.C.U. that brought Connor a much needed sense of peace.

"We should head back to the precinct." Hank suggested as he stepped out of the burnt ruins of the house. Turning off and pocketing his flashlight Hank carefully walked over to the car parked a few feet away and waited for Connor join him beside the vehicle. "There's nothing more we can do from here, so we might as well go back to the precinct and file a few more details before clocking out."

"Perhaps we-" Connor's yellow L.E.D. flashed to red as he suddenly rushed out off of the burned down foundation and sprinted over to the car. "Hank, we need to go back to the hospital."

"What? Why?"

"There's a reported 'code pink'. Someone took the baby from the N.I.C.U. when Ada was checking on another patient."

"Fuck!" Pulling open his driver's side door so hard he nearly broke the door off the hinges Hank didn't hesitate to drive back to the hospital to find the missing baby. Following his gut Hank immediately turned over the engine and practically floored it as he pulled off the street and made his way back downtown as soon as Connor was sitting beside him in the front passenger seat. "I guaran-damn-tee that whoever took the baby is either the arsonist or one of the parents."

"...Maybe they're both."

"If that's the case then that baby could be in serious trouble."

Connor's red L.E.D. blinked wildly as his he closed his eyes and received another update from Ada at the hospital. "The hospital is on lockdown and security confirms that no one exited the hospital with a baby, or anything suspicious on their person. The parking garage and parking lot are also on lockdown, and they have security posted at every door, and even the ground floor windows."

"Good. Keep me posted and let Ada know we're on our way."

"Already done."

* * *

The hospital itself was the epitome of controlled chaos. Due to the late hour of the night there were very few visitors in the hospital and the waiting room was quiet. Only a handful of people were asking why they weren't permitted from leaving the premises at the moment, but were remaining impressively cooperative in the matter. As security allowed the two detectives back inside the hospital Hank made a move to sweep over the ground floor in search of a person hiding out with a newborn baby girl, while Connor would check out the rest of the hospital floor by floor working his way upward toward the roof.

"The suspect is wearing a dark gray hoodie," Connor announced as he downloaded the sparse security footage from the hospital cameras overlooking the corridor in the N.I.C.U. area. "approximately five foot eleven and one-hundred and sixty-eight pounds. Build is that of a male."

"Right. I'll look down here," Hank motioned upward at the ceiling with his right index finger as he made his way down the far corridor to check the supply closets for anyone trying to hide. "and you head on up."

"I'm on it." Connor elected to use the stairwell as he began to check the floors as he knew the suspect would undoubtedly avoid the elevators due to the abundance of security cameras and the security personnel being able to stop the elevator with an emergency override code. As he set his foot on the second floor Connor began an active sweep to isolate the baby's particular signature that he still had recorded in his databank. "...She's not on the second floor. He must've panicked and hid before he could down toward the ground floor."

Climbing the floors one by one, each time he ascended to the next floor he ran a thorough scan through the area of space in an attempt to locate the baby he dubbed 'Hannah', but as he climbed the floors he failed to detect her presence. A strange sense of worry, perhaps even panic, began to set in as he made his way up five floors but didn't locate her. As he neared the floor with the N.I.C.U. up on the sixth floor Connor's scanner detected a familiar signature, and he could hear muffled crying down the corridor.

Establishing cybernetic contact with Hank down on the first floor Connor made his way onto the sixth floor and honed in on the signature near the center of the corridor. '_Hank, I believe I've located the baby and her kidnapper on the sixth floor_. _They are in a janitor's closet between the N.I.C.U. and the elevator_.'

There was a pause before Hank sent him a quick text to reply as he made his way to the elevator. '_I'm on my way, don't leave the floor_.'

Severing the connection Connor made his way closer to the signature and trailed it to the large janitor's closet in the middle of the corridor. Pressing his exposed right palm to the control panel beside the closed door Connor unlocked the closet and peered inside the small space. The right wall was lined with a shelf filled with cleaning supplies, and in the far left corner was a rolling cart with a dozen neatly folded towels stacked on top of it. In the right corner of the room Connor detected the sound of muffled crying, and could sense someone moving around trying to remain hidden in the shadows.

"Reveal yourself." Connor ordered as he pulled his wallet from the pocket of his scrub pants and revealed his shield. "Detroit Police. I know you're in the corner, step out forward, and keep it slow. Do it now or I will come after you."

"Please!" There was a scuffle in the shadows as the hooded figure revealed themself slowly, and confirmed they were holding the bundled up newborn in their arms. "...Don't hurt me." The voice was that of a teenage male and he sounded entirely frightened as the newborn began to cry a little. "I promise I won't run, just don't hurt me."

"I won't harm you. Just put the baby down over there on the towels." Connor instructed as he kept his eyes on the suspect and sensed Hank enter the closet behind him. "Put her down very slowly, then kneel on the floor with your hands in the air."

Obediently the hooded teenager put the baby down on the towels in the corner before he knelt down on the floor and raised his shaking hands in the air. Trembling from fear the teenager didn't resist when Hank walked over to him and slipped the pair of handcuffs around the boy's shaking wrists, and escorted him out of the closet.

"Call off the search." Hank boldly stated as he led the suspect by the shoulder toward the elevator at the end of the corridor. "Get the baby back to the N.I.C.U. and meet me downstairs."

"Right." Walking over to the cart of towels where the newborn, who was swaddled in the pink blanket began to fuss, Connor instinctively picked her up and held her close to his chest as he carried her out of the closet. "It's okay, Hannah." The deviant soothed in a kind and warm voice as he walked down the corridor in the opposite direction from the elevator. "I'll keep you safe, I promise."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	3. Piecing the Puzzle Together

It took almost an hour for the hospital to lift the lockdown after the kidnapper was caught and arrested before being escorted off the premises, while Connor returned baby Hannah to the N.I.C.U. where security was immediately increased. The newborn baby was unharmed by her abductor and was merely scared by the drama around her, and was easily calmed once Connor rescued her. Reluctantly taking his leave of the hospital after escorting Hannah back to the N.I.C.U. Connor joined Hank outside to drive their arrested suspect back to the precinct to begin their very curious interrogation at barely three in the morning. The late hour all but guaranteed an aggressive line of questioning from the sleep deprived Lieutenant.

Standing inside the observation room Hank and Connor watched the young man who was now in custody awaiting interrogation with a keen interest, and sympathetic gaze. Chris was standing silently in the room beside the suspect who had been handcuffed to the table to prevent any attempted escape, and was patiently waiting for the detective duo to dismiss him so they could question the young man who had been arrested for attempted kidnapping.

"The kid is barely seventeen, and in the state of Michigan he can be questioned and charged as an adult." Hank lamented as he looked over the suspect's driver's license with a heavy heart. The sight of someone so young and afraid was heartbreaking no matter how many times it unfortunately happened for the senior detective. "The kid's name is Colin Orwell, and he's apparently well on his way to a full football scholarship ride to the University of Michigan next year." Dragging his left hand over his bearded chin Hank looked at Connor from the corner of his right eye and asked his partner a very unsettling but important question. "Think he's that baby's father?"

"Yes." Holding up his right hand Connor showed Hank an image of Hannah from the hospital and compared her likeness to that of Colin from his mugshot. "He is her father. The dark hair color and ocular region are too identical to be a coincidence. A simple blood test will confirm parentage."

"Damn it."

The unexpected response caused Connor's blue L.E.D. to flash to yellow as he lowered his hand. "You seem disappointed that we located the father."

"It's not that. I'm disappointed because him being the baby's father makes him the prime suspect for the arson."

"...I see."

"I'm going to have a chat with him and see what he has to say. I get the feeling his arrival at the hospital was less of a change of heart and wanting to take responsibility as that baby's father, and more of him trying to cover his ass and avoid trouble."

"I believe your suspicion is accurate. However, we should hear his side of the story."

"Wait here." The senior detective instructed as he took in a deep breath to calm himself. "I'll ask him the questions, and you determine whether or not he's a threat to that baby."

"Very well."

Moving with a heavy gait Hank pressed his right hand to the control panel on the wall beside the observation room's door and waited for it to slide open before he entered the neighboring interrogation room in the same manner. As he took a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the desk from Colin with a relatively annoyed motion Chris took his leave of the room to ensure Hank had Colin's full attention, and simply waited for his cue as he had become very familiar with Hank's interrogation techniques over the past few months.

'_Alright, Colin_.' Hank's voice carried a mild reverb as his voice echoed off the walls of the small, cold room and passed through the speaker connecting the interrogation room to the observation room. '_We know you're that baby's father_.'

The revelation made Colin jump and his dark blue eyes go wide with fear.

'_What we don't know is why you tried to take her from the hospital after you left her to die in a burning house_.'

If Colin's eyes weren't already wide they would've surely gone entirely black with shock as his face paled to an unhealthy shade of white.

'_Look, son_.' Taking a more paternal approach to try to get Colin to talk Hank leaned forward against the table and stared at the teenager's face suspiciously. '_You seem like a good kid_.' Sliding the license over to Colin slowly Hank tried to show him a modicum of trust. '_You have a stellar sports record, great grades and a scholarship just waiting for you in less than a year_. _You're smart enough to know that having your own baby would put all of your future plans on hold and basically ruin everything_. _You had options with what to do with the baby, so why did you pick arson?_'

Colin nervously looked at Hank as he began to tremble a little bit and somehow paled even further where he sat.

'_You could've given her up for adoption, left her at a hospital, a fire station or even right here at the precinct without any questions asked_. _ Fuck, I don't know how you feel about the subject but you also had the choice to terminate if the baby's mother agreed_. _ So what gives_? _Why'd you go for arson and murder_?'

'_I didn't_-' Shouting and then breaking down into tears Colin began to cry as he pressed his hands to his face in shame. '_That's not what happened_! _I swear_!'

'_That's what the evidence is telling us, Colin_.' The interrogation room door slid open as Chris placed a file down on the table for Hank to use during his line of questioning, then slid open a second time as Chris left. Flipping the file open Hank pushed photographs of the fire toward Colin to see, as well as Hannah covered in ash and laying in the incubator at the hospital. '_The only reason the baby survived is because my partner, a deviant, could hear her crying and detect her vital signs from outside the burning building_._ If he wasn't there during the_-'

'_STOP_...' Unable to look at the photographs Colin kept his hands over his eyes and wept even more. '_Please stop_! _I didn't do it_! _ I didn't want her dead or hurt_! _But_... _But we had no choice_! _I swear we didn't have a choice_! _We're not_... _We're not killers_.'

'_Why don't you tell me what happened from your point of view_? _Help us to understand what happened and how the baby ended up in the house, and how the house ended up on fire_.'

'..._Did you call my father_?'

'_No, you're old enough to be charged as an adult_.' Being honest Hank spoke to Colin like the intelligent young man that he is, rather than the scared kid everyone saw him as. '_He won't be able to protect you this time now that you're seventeen_.'

'..._If I tell you what happened_,' lowering his hands Colin revealed his emotionally pained, tear covered face and took in a shaking breath. '_will you promise to not tell my father or tell Diane's parents what happened_?'

'_Who is Diane_?'

'_My girlfriend_.'

'_Is Diane the baby's mother_?'

Nodding reluctantly Colin confirmed the mother's identity. '_She's seventeen, too_. _And her parents_... _Her mother's crazy_.'

'_We'll worry about that later_.' Pulling back the file Hank relaxed his demeanor and nodded at the one way mirror to signal to Chris, who had resumed watching alongside Connor in the observation room, to come back to the interrogation room for a moment. '_Just tell me what happened tonight and we'll work with you, Colin_. _ I promise_.'

Dragging the right sleeve of his dark hoodie over his tear stained face Colin agreed to tell the story and didn't react as Chris returned to the room and put a box of tissues down on the desk, as well as an electronic tablet for Colin to write his statement when the time came. '..._I'll tell you everything_.'

'_Okay_. _Take a minute to breathe and tell us everything that happened from the beginning_.'

* * *

Through the window Connor stood idle and listened to the heartwrenching story that Colin had to tell, and for the first time in a long time the deviant found himself at a loss of how to react. While he knew what had happened to Hannah, being abandoned and left to die was an unforgivable crime, he couldn't fault Colin or Diane for feeling so desperate while feeling entirely alone in the world. Being completely empathetic and kind Connor tried to put himself in Colin's place and found he couldn't decide on a plausible solution for the predicament beyond giving the baby up for adoption, and trying to keep it a secret from the rest of the world as well.

Colin told Hank the story of how he and Diane had been together since middle school, and how they had been sexually active for over a year prior before their preventative measures finally failed. When Colin told his father he had kicked him out of the house and he had been staying with Diane's parents for four months, and Diane's mother had been obsessing over the baby like it were her own.

It was that very obsessive behavior that made Diane flee from the house when she was five months pregnant and hide out with friends on the other side of town. Remaining hidden until it was time to give birth the frightened teenage couple had to rely on their less than ideal friends to help them until the baby was born, and then they could return to Detroit to finish school.

'..._When Diane went into labor our friends said they could take the baby away and put her somewhere safe_.' Colin wept again as he told the truth of the entire tragic situation, and finally felt like he had someone he could rely on through Hank's presence. '_She gave birth and I stayed with her while our friend took the baby away_.'

'_Alright_,' Hank sighed wearily as he listened to the story and did his best to remain unbiased. '_so why'd you try to take the baby from the hospital_?'

'..._I_..._I went back into the city to get things for Diane_. _She was feeling a little sick after giving birth, and_... _and I was recognized by one of Diane's mom's friends when I was buying supplies_. _She called Diane's mom and told her where I was, and Diane's mom showed up at the pharmacy parking lot to head me off_.'

'_Okay_... _I don't get how that took you to the hospital_.'

'_Like I said earlier,_' Colin continued in a bleak manner. '_Diane's mom was obsessed with the baby and was actually excited for it_. _When Diane and me took off she blew up Diane's phone trying to find her until Diane just tossed the phone and moved on_. _She_... _She offered me money for_\- _Well, she still wanted the baby_."

'_Wait, Diane's mother tried to buy the baby off of you_?'

'_Diane's family is RICH_.' Breathing slowly Colin tried to keep his emotional resolve and tell Hank the full story. '_She wanted the baby more than anything_. _She offered me one-hundred thousand dollars for the baby_. _With that kind of money_...'

'_You two would be able to start over in another city, at another school and move on from your one mistake_.'

'..._Yeah_. _ That's it_. _I took the baby from the N.I.C.U. but_... _I couldn't go through with it_. _Knowing that Diane's mother actually put a price on mine and Diane's baby just reminded me of how crazy she is, and why we ran off to begin with_. _ I wanted to put the baby back but security knew she had been taken and I panicked_. _I hid until I could think of what to do_. _ It wasn't right and I'm sorry, but I can't undo what I did_.'

'_So how did you know that the baby was even at that one hospital_?'

'..._When I was driving back to the city I heard a news report about a fire downtown on the radio, and I got a phone call from the friend who took the baby away_. _He said_... _He said it was taken care of and that he got rid of the evidence_. _I could_... _hear the fire in the background of the phone call_.'

This time it was Hank who paled as he realized what had happened, and could see that Colin was innocent in regards to the attempted infanticide. '_You had no idea that your friend was going set the fire_?'

'_NO_!' Colin was on the verge of tears again as he spoke with Hank and kept telling his story. '_Me and Diane didn't want to be parents but we didn't want to kill the baby, either_! _We just_... _We just wanted to forget about it and move on with our lives_. _We wanted to have our lives to live before we became parents_. _I didn't even know it was a girl until you told me_.'

'_Colin, I'm being patient with you,_' Hank reminded the young suspect with a terse tone. '_but I still need to know how you knew which hospital to go to_.'

'_When I heard the fire in the phone call and heard the news report I just_..._ I knew that's where he took the baby_. _I drove to the street and parked my car a few yards away from the fire to check it out_. _That's when I saw someone go into the back of the ambulance with something in their arms_. _I heard the baby crying and I knew she was safe_. _So_... _I followed after the ambulance and waited in the parking lot for a while before I went inside to try to take her back_.'

'_And you knew the baby was yours, how_?'

'_I didn't see her after she was born, I was taking care of Diane, but when I got to the N.I.C.U. I saw the baby and I saw Diane's face_._ I just knew the baby was ours so I took her and tried to run_.'

'_Alright, how'd you get in the N.I.C.U. without anyone noticing_?'

'_I went through the waiting room and saw the nurse at the front desk handing out passes_. _When a guy in the waiting room fell asleep I took his pass from his jacket and used the stairwell to get around without being seen_.'

'_Where's Diane now_?'

'..._I can't tell you_.'

'_Colin, we need to find her_. _We also need to know your friend who started the fire_.'

'_Please_. _Diane didn't do anything wrong tonight_. _It was our friend who started the fire and I let him take the baby away_. _He's responsible for the fire, and if you want to punish someone for what happened to the baby then I'm to blame_.'

'_Son, listen to me_.' Using the 'dad voice' Hank tried to reach the frightened teen on a more familial level. '_We aren't looking to punish Diane, we need to know what happened tonight_. _We need to ask her some questions and like you said, she was feeling sick after giving birth_. _Were you able to get back to her after you went to the pharmacy_?'

Falling silent Colin looked entirely frightened for a new reason.

'_Colin_. _Where is she_?'

'..._I'll tell you if you promise to get her to a hospital so she can be taken care of properly_.'

'_You have my word_.'

Hesitating for a moment Colin took the tablet and wrote down an address for Hank to use to find Diane, and their 'friend' who started the fire. '..._Tell her I'm so sorry for everything_.'

'_Relax, son_.' Accepting the tablet Hank nodded and stood up from the table. '_This isn't the end of the world_. _It may feel like it, but you'll both get through this and in the end everything will be sorted out_.'

* * *

Patiently Connor and Chris stood outside of the interrogation room and walked with Hank as the trio made their way into the bullpen to continue their investigation into the unusual and tragic case at hand. Hank pulled his coat from the back of his chair and slipped it up his arms to his shoulders as he watched Connor anxiously awaiting their next move with Chris standing nearby. The three officers were tired but with a new lead to follow there was no way any of them were going to walk away from the case now.

"What do you think, Connor?"

"Colin is telling the truth." The deviant confirmed as his L.E.D. continued to cycle in a calm blue in his right temple. "I don't believe he'd harm his child, he was merely scared and had panicked."

"That's what I think, too. You go back to the hospital for now." Hank stated as he pulled his car keys from his pocket and waved over Chris to join him. "I'm going to find the mother and bring her to the same hospital, Chris will look for the arsonist. You'll be able to interview the mother from the hospital after I find her."

"What of Diane's mother?" The question wasn't out of line and one that needed to be answered. "She could have a connection to the friend who started the fire tonight."

"I really doubt it. She wanted the baby, so if anything she'll show up at the hospital, too. She may even try to finish what Colin started and take her."

"...I see."

"You go to the hospital," Hank reiterated as he motioned for Chris to hurry up and follow after him. "Chris and I are going to find the mother, and possibly the arsonist."

"Very well." Accepting the car keys from Hank so that the senior detective and Chris could use a squad car with lights and sirens to drive faster to find Diane outside the city, Connor agreed to their current plan of action. "I'll remain in touch throughout the night."

"Yeah, make sure no one who isn't wearing scrubs and a stethoscope gets near that baby."

Connor's brow arched slightly as his right fingertips tugged at the teal colored scrub top he was still wearing in favor of his soot covered and burned uniform, and gave Hank an intrigued glance. As his blue L.E.D. flickered briefly to yellow Connor sent a text message to Nurse Ada Giles' phone and let her know that he was on his way back to the hospital.

* * *

With the hospital's permission Connor remained in the scrubs as a means of blending in more easily as hospital staff to ensure that if anyone else made a move to abduct Hannah they might be reckless enough to make a move without realizing that Connor was in fact a detective assigned to protect her. Allowing Ada to assist with his 'disguise' by putting a small bandage over his L.E.D. to make him look as human as possible as he hovered protectively in the N.I.C.U. to keep a close watch over Hannah the dedicated detective stayed vigilant.

"Has anyone else of interest appeared in the hospital or near the N.I.C.U. during my absence?" Standing beside the plastic incubator Connor peered down at Hannah's sleeping face as the newborn quickly quieted down and fell asleep after her dramatic episode just an hour prior. "It's crucial we keep anyone who may be a threat to Hannah at bay."

"No. We've doubled security and scared a lot of new parents in the process."

"That's unfortunate."

"Tell me about it, but they'll get over it."

"My partner is going to attempt to locate Hannah's mother and bring her to this hospital." Connor updated the nurse out of respect to help her also feel more secured during the investigation. "The young man who tried to take Hannah has been confirmed as her father, and is still in custody."

"Perfect. If anyone tries to claim to be her father they will immediately be questioned by security." Ada watched Connor's warm brown eyes as the deviant stared down at Hannah and seemed to be sad despite the progress in the tragic case at hand. "Are you okay, Connor?"

"I'm fine." The soulful brown eyes darted upward to lock his gaze with Ada as Connor's brow furrowed slightly with confusion. "...Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I'm a nurse and I want to help people feel better. You seem upset."

The fact that he too was feeling emotional toward the case just as Hank had been was a strange moment of realization for the still learning deviant. "...I suppose I am a little upset." Looking back down at Hannah as the newborn began to rouse from her sleep and make small noises Connor opened up the small window on the right side of the incubator and let her right hand wrap around his right index finger again. "It seems so wrong that this completely innocent child is caught in the middle of a tragic case, and she has no one to care for her."

"Well, she may be caught in a tragic case but she does have someone taking care of her."

"Yes, I'm aware that the hospital will tend to her every need and help her locate a foster family to take care of her."

"Actually," giving the deviant a coy glance Ada pointed at Connor while keeping a warm smile on her face as she spoke to him. "I was referring to you."

Beneath the bandage Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow, red and then back to yellow with surprise. "...Me?"

_ **-next chapter-** _


	4. Someone to Protect

The drive outside of the city didn't take too long as Hank had impressive skill with driving at a higher rate of speed, and easily located the less than ideal neighborhood with the address of the house where Colin claimed that he and Diane had been using to hide. The house itself was just as rundown and decrepit as the house that had been burned down back in Detroit, and felt just as inviting as the torched remains. Slowing the car's speed and turning off the flashing red and blue lights atop the vehicle Hank pulled up along the street and parked in front of the house as quietly as possible.

"Alright, this is the address Colin gave us." Hank confirmed as he turned off the engine and gave Chris a quick nod. "I'll take the lead and you follow just to make sure the arsonist doesn't try to flee if he's still in the area."

"Right, Lieutenant."

"Let's go." Opening the driver's side door Hank stepped out of the vehicle and kept his right hand hovering over the holstered gun on his right hip as a strictly precautionary manner. Walking up the front walk toward the front door of the single story dimly lit house with Chris right behind him Hank knocked on the front door twice to announce their presence. "Police department, open up."

There was a loud frantic scrambling sound from within the house as loud footsteps rushed toward the back of the house. Without even needing to say a word Hank sensed Chris make a move toward the rear of the property to head off the fleeing occupant of the house.

Reeling back his right leg Hank planted a firm kick on the door just below the already loosened doorknob and caused the front door to burst open with a loud 'crash' that shook the entire small house on its foundation. "Detroit police!"

There was no further movement inside the house and Hank could see from the front door that the backdoor in the kitchen at the rear of the house had been left wide open. Drawing his gun from the holster on his right hip Hank held the gun out in front of himself as he began to sweeping through the house and clearing each room as he walked.

No one was inside the livingroom, the kitchen, or the bathroom down the hallway. A doorway in the middle of the hall led to a closet that was also empty save for some moldy boxes and a ragged coat, but the single bedroom at the end of the hallway had a an unknown person laying in the middle of a broken down mattress, and huddled under piles of thin, dirty and mismatched blankets.

"Detroit police." Hank announced again as he located the light switch on the wall just inside the doorway of the room and flipped it on. "Put your hands where I can see them."

The figure in the bed didn't move and only let out a weakened groan from under the pile of blankets and rags over top of them.

Stepping closer to the bed Hank pulled back the blankets and peered down at the figure's face, and immediately reholstered his gun. "Damn it!" Pressing his right fingertips to the left side of the figure's neck Hank registered a rapid, thready pulse and the high fever plaguing the figure's entire body. "Diane?" Calling out her name as he pulled back the blankets to expose her entire body Hank saw the telltale signs of a recent birth, and could see that she was still bleeding heavily. "Diane, I need you to respond."

She was too weak and too sick to reply to Hank's voice. She didn't even register his strong hand counting her pulse, or his left hand gently lifting her eyelids to check her pupils as he spoke to her.

"Damn it." Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank called 911 to get an ambulance to the house, then radioed an update to the precinct to confirm he had found his suspect but that she needed immediate medical attention. "Come on, Diane." Pressing his left palm over her forehead Hank could feel she was burning up with a high fever from a serious infection, and then pressed his right palm down on her lower abdomen to try to stem the internal bleeding that had failed to stop after she had given birth at least four hours prior. "You're strong and you can make it. Just hang on for me and I'll help you."

Chris had heard the report over the radio and returned to the house with the cuffed suspect who fled through the backdoor, a man in his early twenties with a serious 'red ice' addiction and filthy clothes that stunk of gasoline, to check in on Hank. "Need help, Lieutenant?"

"No, I got her. You take that asshole back the precinct and I'll escort Diane to the hospital."

The suspected arsonist began to panic a little after seeing all the blood around Diane's legs and saw how pale she was. "I didn't do that her, man! Diane got sick and-"

"We know." Chris silenced the suspect as he led him back out of the bedroom and to the squad car in front of the house. "Just wait until we're at the precinct to tell us the rest of the details. We want to hear everything!"

"Diane." Keeping his full attention on the very sick young woman Hank relied on his emergency medical training as a detective, as well as his knowledge of postpartum complications after educating himself when his late wife gave birth to Cole all those years ago, Hank did his best to keep Diane as stable as possible until the paramedics arrived. "Listen to me, Diane. You're bleeding internally but help is on the way. If you can hear me I need you to respond."

"...C-Colin?"

"Colin's back in Detroit. He told us where to find you."

"...M'baby?"

"She's alive and she's safe."

Opening her soft brown eyes Diane looked up at Hank as the senior detective gently brushed a long lock of her sweaty blonde hair from her face in a comforting gesture. "...D-Don't let my... mother have her."

"Your mother?" The comment seemed out of place yet oddly specific. It lined up with Colin's statement back at the precinct. "What about your mother?"

"N-Not her baby. She... She wanted the baby. Made... Made me... pr-pregnant."

The sound of sirens accompanied with flashing red and blue lights filled the dark street as the requested ambulance arrived to take Diane to the hospital, and save her from bleeding to death in the middle of the rundown filthy house. As the paramedics entered the house through the front door Hank called out to them and kept his hand on Diane's abdomen to apply pressure and try to keep her from bleeding out before they got to her in the bedroom.

"She _made_ you... pregnant?" Hank whispered with righteous confusion as he backed off and gave the paramedics plenty of room to work on saving Diane's life in the middle of the dirty bedroom. "How in the hell is that possible?"

* * *

At the hospital Connor received an update on the case from Chris after the skilled officer took the arrested suspect, a man named Flint Allen, into custody to the precinct. Flint had a history of not only drug abuse beginning in his late teens, but had a stint in juvenile hall regarding a dangerous pattern of behavior with malicious destruction of property, and attempted arson as a child. While Chris had delivered the suspect it would be Gavin interrogating him as the officer finally clocked out for the remainder of the late night/early morning, and went back home to sleep.

"The suspected arsonist is in custody." The deviant detective stated as he sat in the chair in the corner of the N.I.C.U. as instructed by Ada. Watching as the kind nurse finished changing Hannah's diaper and then proceeded to swaddle the newborn in a soft pink blanket Connor remained in cybernetic contact with the other deviants at the precinct who were monitoring the cases being handled. "...It appears my partner has also located Hannah's mother, Diane."

"Is something wrong?" Picking up the swaddled newborn in her hands with a firm but gentle grip Ada carried Hannah over to Connor and carefully placed her down in his arms. Readjusting Connor's arms in an almost strategic manner Ada made sure Hannah was laying comfortably in the deviant's care as he continued to look down at her face curiously. "You seem worried again."

"According to my partner in the field the mother is very ill. The paramedics suspect she is suffering from a massive infection due to an improperly delivered placenta."

"Postpartum complications are very serious." Ada confirmed sympathetically as she watched Connor holding Hannah like a true expert. "I can understand your worries."

"She is currently en route with my partner to this hospital." Pausing for a moment Connor's brow arched a little as additional information was provided to him cybernetically. "...There are also instructions to not allow Diane's mother near either Diane herself, or Hannah."

"Sounds like family drama. I'm used to it."

Hannah began to fuss in Connor's arms and make discontent noises as the deviant held her in a comforting manner. "...She seems upset as well."

"Well, she's undoubtedly hungry. I'll get her some formula and you can feed her."

"...I can?"

"Sure. She trusts you and what better way to keep her safe than by taking on the role as her personal guardian for a while?"

"That seems... logical."

"There's no logic involved, honey. It's just years of instincts telling me that you're the one who's going to have the best impact on this sweet little baby's young life."

"I'd like to think I would be able to help Hannah as much as possible in a positive way."

"You are, Connor. Don't worry about that." Walking over to a special cabinet that contained brand new, sterilized baby bottles and formula Ada carried the selected supplies over to an adjoined room where a small kitchenette was set up for easier access for the nurses on staff. Using purified warm water and the perfect amount of powdered formula Ada mixed up the bottle and returned to the small private nursery area of the N.I.C.U. where Connor was sitting with Hannah, and handed him the prepared bottle as she gave Connor a curious look. "You don't know how to feed a baby, do you?"

"No. I do not."

Keeping her kind smile on her face Ada passed the bottle over to Connor then set about repositioning Hannah so he could offer her the formula in an ideal manner that the newborn would respond to. "Let me show you..."

* * *

Having escorted Diane to the hospital and watched as the emergency medical team quickly swarmed the teenager in an attempt to save her life Hank could only sigh despondently and try not to think about how Diane and Colin were still kids, and had been backed into a corner all because of one fateful night nine months prior. As he watched Diane being wheeled into an emergency treatment room Hank thought about what Diane had said about not letting her mother near the baby, and how Colin had stated that Diane's mother was "crazy" and decided that he'd do a little research in Diane's family history, and see if he could find another interesting lead to follow.

Reclaiming his visitor's pass and clearance badge Hank walked down the corridor back to the elevator and returned to the N.I.C.U. to fill Connor in on more details and confirm that the baby's mother had just been admitted in the hospital. As he rode the elevator up to the correct floor Hank noted the early morning hour of five-thirty and sighed loudly with fatigue.

"We need to remind Fowler we earned overtime tonight."

The elevator doors opened and Hank trudged down the corridor to the N.I.C.U. but didn't see Connor inside the secured room as he peered through the window that allowed passersby to see inside.

"Connor?"

"He's down here." Ada replied as she made a few notes in an electronic chart and waved Hank over to the doorway to the small nursery where she had placed Connor and Hannah to have a moment of privacy. "This particular newborn gets a little extra attention since she was abandoned."

"Attention?" Peering inside the window to the nursery curiously Hank spotted Connor sitting in the corner of the brightly colored room adorned with murals of flowers and balloons with the swaddled newborn in his arms, and a bottle in his hand. Seeing an oddly familiar yet foreign glimmer of pride in Connor's soulful brown eyes despite the distance Hank felt more dread well up inside of himself. "Oh, no..."

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. Connor knows that the baby will be entering foster care soon."

"He's still getting attached."

"Maybe a little, but I think he's just curious about babies."

"No way it's going to be that simple. I know him, and I know how much of a protector he is deep down inside."

"Well, that isn't a bad thing."

"No, but it could get complicated."

Patting Hank's upper left arm in an empathetic manner Ada gave the detective a comforting smile. "Why don't you go in and talk to him? My shift is over so when the next nurse comes in to check on the baby you'll be able to take Connor back out of the nursery."

"Yeah, sure." Opening the door to the nursery with his clearance badge Hank quietly walked into the nursery and stood a few feet away from where Connor was sitting, and even seemed to be gently rocking the baby as he fed her the bottle. Watching as the deviant contentedly played 'father' and watching as the baby's hand wrapped around Connor's pinky finger to squeeze Hank spoke up softly as to not frighten the newborn by accident. "Connor?"

"Hank." Looking up from Hannah's face Connor locked eyes with the senior detective and lowered his voice in the same manner to prevent the newborn from getting startled in the process. "I understand you found Diane and she is in critical condition. Did you learn anything else?"

"Yeah, apparently Diane doesn't want her own mother near her or the baby, and I think I know why Colin said Diane's mother was crazy back during the first interrogation."

"Why's that?"

"It may have been a feverish delirium, but Diane said that her mother somehow made her pregnant."

From beneath his bandage Connor's L.E.D. flickered red nervously before settling on a cautious yellow. "That isn't... possible."

"Maybe not in the traditional sense when it comes to human reproduction, but I've been a detective for a long time and I know that some kids end up the victims of some pretty fucked up shit thanks to their equally fucked up parents."

Connor's brow furrowed a little as his eyes darted down to the baby then back up toward Hank. "...Should you be using foul language around a newborn?"

Doing his best to not laugh at the absurd and innocent comment Hank dragged his left hand over his bearded chin and partially over his mouth to hide is sheepish grin. "I doubt she can understand what we're saying right now, kid. It's fine."

"Aren't children supposed to be highly intuitive, aware and constantly learning?"

"Connor, she's not even a day old. It'll be fine."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Once Diane has been stabilized you can go down and talk to her, then we'll go home and get some sleep."

"...What about the baby?"

"She has the entire hospital to watch over her. She'll be fine for a few hours without you being her personal bodyguard."

Connor wasn't entirely convinced but was willing to trust Hank's judgment on the situation. "I hope you're right." As the bottle was finished Hannah made more annoyed sounds and Connor wasn't quite sure how to respond to them. "...Hank, do you know why she's upset again?"

As much as Hank didn't want to indulge his paternal side and tend to the newborn, his professionalism holding him back, Hank tried to stay stone faced. "Uh, why don't you-" The baby started to cry a little and his paternal side override his professional side in an instant. "Here, like this..."

Willingly Connor passed Hannah over to Hank and watched the much more experienced detective take the newborn for himself and comfort her in a simple motion as he held her to his right shoulder, and gently rubbed her back with his left hand. "Why is she upset, Hank?"

"She's tiny and just had a large meal, she's gotta' be uncomfortable."

"I fed her too much?"

"No, kid. Infants don't really know to stop eating until _after_ it gets uncomfortable, but they also grow really fast so it's going to be a bad habit they won't break for a long, long time." As the newborn quieted a little she spit up a small amount of the formula but it missed Hank's shoulder and ended up on the floor behind him. "...And that'll help, too."

"Is she ill?"

"No, Connor. She's fine."

"Good. ...I don't know much about infant care."

"Yeah, I can tell." The door to the nursery slid open and the next nurse, one Hank actually recognized as he had spent an uncomfortable amount of time in the hospital tending to cops injured in the line of duty, took the newborn from him to return her to the N.I.C.U. for continued observation, and to ensure security was close by. "Okay, the baby's been taken care of and now we need to deal with the mother."

"I'll go interview her." Connor stated quickly as he stood up from the chair and cybernetically downloaded more information on the case at hand. "...Her full name is Diane Nicolette Wemilat."

"Whoa, whoa..." The name instantly rung a bell and things began to fall into place in Hank's mind. "As in she's the daughter of Robert and Debra Wemilat, the owners of the Wemilat Construction Company and the Wemilat Hotel downtown?"

"Correct. The details are accurate."

"Fuck... No wonder Diane and Colin are so freaked out by the mother."

"I don't understand."

"Kid, Debra Wemilat is a woman NOT be fucked with." Escorting Connor out of the nursery Hank explained things as they walked side by side down the corridor to get the elevator at the end of the hallway. "She's notorious for getting her way through aggressive and financial means, and successfully ran her husband's competition out of the city by using mind games and buying people off. She's not a very nice person, and has been known to rely on classic bully tactics to threaten anyone she deems an enemy."

"Her reputation doesn't seem to be one of pride or respect."

"Nope. Be sure to let Diane tell you EVERYTHING she needs about whatever happened to her, and how she ended up with that baby. I get the feeling this case is going to be even messier than it already is once you get the details."

"I'll be very thorough." Stepping through the elevator doors beside Hank to descend to the proper floor Connor began cybernetically downloading information on the infamous woman, and prepared to take steps to protect himself and Hank in the event she tried nasty tactics to get her way. "I dislike the idea of having to deal with a potentially combative witness or accessory to a crime."

"And you take steps to make sure she can't do anything to harm you as a detective. Being an android might make you an irresistible target to a cold and vindictive woman."

"I can handle it, Hank. I won't let anything happen to the baby, or to her parents."

* * *

It took two hours for Diane to stabilize enough to recover some of her strength, and to regain consciousness. Placed in a private recovery room with security outside her door to both prevent Diane from trying to flee as the police needed to question her, and to keep her parents away from her until the police had more answers, she was entirely alone and scared. The nasal canula under nose and the I.V. running into the bend of her right arm delivering antibiotics, fluids and blood made her look as miserable as she felt.

Crying quietly to herself Diane didn't know what to do or what to think as the door to her room slid open, and an unknown man stepped inside the room to speak with her in private.

"Diane?"

The unfamiliar voice made her jump, and she quickly wiped away her tears as she turned away from his face in shame. "Please, go away."

"I can't do that." Walking over to the bed the figure pulled his wallet from his pocket to show Diane his badge as he introduced himself. "My name is Connor. I work with the Detroit Police department. I need to ask you some questions."

"Please, I don't want to talk."

"I can sympathize with you." The deviant replied sincerely as he stood beside the bed but kept his distance from the frightened teenager. "However, it is important that you tell me what happened tonight."

"...Why? Everything is over and I let that asshole run off with my baby. He... He _killed_ my baby."

Connor's brow furrowed a little at the comment as it was not only untrue, but for Diane to believe such a statement would mean she had been aware of the events taking place or had spoken to someone who was aware of the fire. "What makes you say that, Diane?"

"I heard the nurses talking. They said a baby was found in a burning building and... I know Flint loves fire." Wiping away her tears as she refused to look Connor in the eyes Diane grieved for the child she believed she had lost, and felt her heart being crushed under the unbearable weight of guilt and regret. "I'm a monster..."

"You're not a monster, Diane."

"Yes I am!" Bursting with emotion and utter sorrow Diane rolled to her side to present her back to Connor as she continued to bawl, and express her genuine regret. "You weren't there! You didn't see what happened..."

"You're wrong, I was there." Refuting the statement in a bold tone Connor refused to let Diane needlessly punish herself for a crime she didn't commit. "I'm the one who located your baby and took her from the burning building."

Diane suddenly froze as she registered what Connor had said and began to quiet down as she slowly looked at Connor with wide, bloodshot eyes over her own shoulder. "...You took-" Breathing slowly and deeply as she dared to believe what Connor was telling her. "...My baby is alive?"

"Yes. She survived and is doing well."

"...She?" Like Colin it seemed Diane didn't see the baby before it was taken away from them just after she had been born. "...My baby is a girl?"

"Yes. She's okay, Diane. You didn't harm her in anyway."

Diane broke down and began to cry again as overwhelming relief and shock shifted her emotions from one extreme to another.

"Diane." Stepping closer to the bed Connor addressed the weeping teenager while maintaining his professional composure. Taking a tissue from the small box on the nearby table Connor passed over the tissue and watched as Diane's trembling left hand accepted it and promptly used it to dry her eyes. "Please talk to me. I must know what happened tonight."

"...Can I see Colin? Please?"

"Colin is at the precinct. We've already spoken to him but now it's your turn." As his mouth ticked a little Connor noted that Diane seemed intimidated by his presence and chose to bring a chair over from the neighboring wall to sit down and become eye level with the trembling young woman. "I'm not here to judge you or condemn you." He informed her in a kind and patient voice. "I'm here to help you and learn what happened tonight."

"...Did you tell my parents?" Diane's fears suddenly returned as she asked the understandable question. "I... I don't want them to know I'm here."

"No. You and Colin are both legally adults in the state of Michigan, and as a result there was no reason to contact your parents. And," making sure Diane knew she had been heard Connor reiterated Hank's earlier comment and gave her a reassuring glance. "we understand that you asked that your own mother be barred from seeing you or your baby, and we'll stand by that request."

"...Thank you."

"Will you please talk to me?"

Diane searched the kind deviant's face a moment as if seeking a tell in his personality, or facial expressions before finally giving him an answer. Nodding a little as she maintained eye contact with Connor as she gathered herself emotionally Diane agreed to speak. "...Okay. I'll tell you what happened."

_**-next chapter-**_


	5. Fostering Feelings

Ever patient and empathetic Connor stayed beside the hospital bed as he cybernetically relayed Diane's story to the precinct via his visual and auditory processors. Listening to the heartbreaking story with flawless diligence and intrigue Connor remained unbiased, emotionally composed and was willing to be a literal shoulder for Diane to cry on if necessary. As each detail was explained to Connor without any sign of deceit or exaggeration in Diane's words or her demeanor the keen deviant detective had realized that both Diane and Colin were as much a victim of the night's tragic events as Hannah had been.

"When I was four my mother started to get a little obsessed with having babies." Diane stated somberly as she continued to use the tissue to dry her weepy cinnamon brown eyes. "It stayed that way for years until I was eleven, maybe twelve years old. When she couldn't conceive another baby she would begin to dote on me a little more and more until I wasn't a person anymore, I was her little baby doll to dress up and do with as she pleased."

"How so?"

"My mother would never let me choose my own clothes or let me style my hair. She picked every piece of my wardrobe and would also brush my hair and try to keep them in weird styles that would make me look really young. Like little pigtails with ribbons, or tiny lacy dresses that made me want to puke."

Having no experience with family drama Connor continued to ask questions in search of more thorough answers. "What of your father? Where was he and what was he doing while your mother was attempting to control you?"

"He... He tried to get mother to mellow out but it didn't help. She'd accuse him of intentionally sabotaging her attempts to have another baby, said things like he wasn't a 'real man' or he was a 'failure' because she couldn't get pregnant again. She even accused him of having an affair which is why he didn't want to keep trying for another baby!" The subject was one of a sensitive nature but Diane had no reason to spare her family's secrets anymore. "I later learned when I was thirteen from a family friend that my mom couldn't have any more children from a complication she suffered during my birth. Mother was in denial and decided the infertility problem was my father's fault, not her own, and kept obsessing to the point of insanity."

"Your mother was unable to accept her own physical limitations." The deviant was following Diane's chronicle of events and comparing her mother's behavior to that of psychological illnesses that Connor had familiarized himself with after resuming his career as a detective. "If she had been given such upsetting medical information beforehand then surely she would've attempted alternate methods to conceive a child."

"She spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on I.V.F. treatments and a bunch of other procedures that was supposed to reverse the damage to her body, but the damage was permanent and mother couldn't handle not getting her way. She could never handle being told 'no', and many, _many_ people know what happens if they even try."

"How does this particular night tie in to your mother's previous behavior?"

Diane took in a deep breath and resisted crying again as she told Connor the rest of her somber story. "...When I was twelve I met Colin and we became fast friends who quickly became boyfriend and girlfriend in the eighth grade. When we turned fifteen we started having sex and I went and got my birth control pills from a trusted family doctor, while Colin bought some condoms. We did everything right to stay safe and prevent this very problem from happening, and everything was fine for almost a year until my mother walked in on us when we snuck away to my bedroom to be together on my sixteenth birthday."

"Your mother was upset about learning of your sexual relationship with Colin."

"No. She was actually happy and _encouraged_ it."

"...She 'encouraged' you to participate in sexual intercourse?" The comment was truly confusing for the naive deviant as he had no childhood experiences to fall back on for clarification. Pushing again for answers Connor asked Diane for more details. "From what I understand most parents are resistant to such behavior while their children are still underage, and in some cases unmarried."

"Yeah, that's right. And that's what was so weird about the whole thing. My mother was always about image," Diane began to lower her guard as she found Connor to be very easy to talk with. "she always had the best clothes, the best car, the biggest house, expensive jewelry, the best dinners and above all else the best family. I thought she was going to go berserk when she caught us having sex, but instead of being mad that her little 'baby doll' wasn't acting very innocent and doll-like, or getting mad that my decision was embarrassing to her personal reputation, she... She was proud."

"Proud?"

"Yeah. I thought she was only going easy on my because it was my birthday and she didn't want to make a scene at the party, but five months later... I discovered her little scheme far too late."

"...Diane, you stated that your mother is responsible for your pregnancy." Beneath the bandage over his right temple Connor's L.E.D. flashed to red rapidly before returning to a cautious yellow despite no eyes being able to see it. "Exactly what did she do to you?"

"After five months I thought I was finally free of my mother trying to keep me her tiny little doll and that maybe she was going to start treating me like an adult; she finally let me have a say in my clothing and hair, and everything. But instead..." Trailing off Diane's eyes dulled with pain as she recounted her tale.

"Instead, what?" Knowing that Diane had an important story to tell Connor encouraged her to finish it. "What happened?"

Diane took in a deep breath and nervously crossed her arms over her chest as she told Connor the rather unsettling details. "...She sabotaged my birth control pills, and poked holes in the condoms that Colin left in my bedroom's nightstand."

Pausing for a moment Connor contemplated what Diane had said and he pressed for more details regardless of how uncomfortable they may be. "...How do you know this?"

"Well, when I woke up and puked my guts out one morning my mother happily checked in on me instead of asking the maid to do it, and her first reaction wasn't one of concern that I was sick, it was of excitement and asked if I wanted to make an appointment to see her well paid doctor. Well, I went and her personal doctor, her high school friend, confirmed I was seven weeks pregnant. When I told him I was on the pill and using condoms he didn't believe me, and my mother essentially called me a liar in front of the doctor saying things like; 'She's young, these things happen.' and 'Don't worry, I'll handle her.' What I had to say didn't matter all over again."

"That behavior on your mother's part, while unfortunate, doesn't prove anything definitive."

"No, but I bet the entire box of condoms that had pin pricks through the center of each one, and my birth control pills that were somehow swapped with some vitamin A tablets could prove it."

"Did you keep any of this supposed 'evidence'?"

"Yeah. I locked the condoms and pills up in my safety deposit box at the bank just in case. I know my mother's grubby fingerprints are all over everything, and she had no reason to touch ANY of it."

"Did you confront her?"

"Yes! And she admitted it with a smug look on her face." Biting her lower lip Diane did her best to not snap at Connor as he did nothing wrong. "She even said she was just waiting for me to have a sexual relationship so she could finally have HER baby. It's _not_ her baby, it's mine and Colin's baby. She just used me as an incubator because she wanted another baby... She doesn't care about me, I'm not a person I'm her _property_."

"If you can give us permission to examine the items we could-"

"Done."

Not at all surprised that Diane wanted her mother's behavior to be investigated Connor continued his line of questioning. "After you discovered your pregnancy what did you and Colin do?"

"We talked. A lot."

"May I ask what you discussed?"

Pausing for a moment Diane's hands tightened nervously around her arms as she hugged herself tighter. "...We considered abortion but I couldn't go through with it. Neither of us wanted to abort because we knew it wasn't the baby's fault and it's not like I was raped or anything, but we didn't want to keep it either. Then we talked about private adoption but my mother's influence wouldn't allow it. So we were going to find a way to give the baby away somewhere far from Detroit and away from my mother's reach."

"What of your parents? I know your mother was for the pregnancy but what of your father?"

"He was... Supportive. He told me what Colin and I decided to do he'd stand by it, and he knew that my mother was somehow responsible for my condition."

"He knew?"

"The way my mother was acting and was so quick to get me an appointment... Yeah, he knew. He knew what she did to me..."

"I'm truly sorry that you had to endure such an emotionally traumatic event." Connor gave the teenager a sincerely kind tone as he spoke with her and continued to remain unbiased in his assessment. "What of Colin?"

"Well, Colin told his father; his mother died in a car accident when he was only three years old, and his father smacked him upside the head, and then kicked him out of the house."

"Colin's father disowned him? Why?"

"Because Colin was supposed to succeed in his football career, get drafted by the N.F.L. and support his father with millions of dollars."

"...Colin was disowned by his father because of this one incident? That seems harsh."

"Well, Colin's father isn't a good person. He's an alcoholic and I think he does drugs, too. I've never seen it but it's pretty easy to tell he's taking something. Since Colin can't play football and go to college if he's taking care of a baby his father found him to be completely useless, and wanted him gone. So, he moved in with me while we tried to figure out what to do. But when my mother started making plans for us; buying baby supplies, setting up a room for the baby, buying clothes, toys, books, a new car seat, a new crib, everything... We started to get weirded out and knew we couldn't stay at my parents' house anymore."

"And you didn't want your mother to have the baby either."

"No! She was acting like my baby was her own! Like I said she kept saying how she was excited to finally have_ another baby_, not having a _grandchild_. And she controlled everything I ate, drank, wore, how often I slept or where I went. She even kept booking my prenatal appointments and went with me every time instead of letting Colin come with me. Hell, if she could've just taken just my belly to the appointments and left me behind at the house she would've done it."

"Did you confront your mother about that behavior?"

"Yeah, when I reached my fourth month and started to show I asked her why she wasn't letting me have a say in my appointments, the baby's room and how I raised my child, and she... She laughed at me. She said I was being 'silly' and that it was 'just the hormones', so I needed to let her take care of everything. That's when I realized that it really was an act of sabotage, not just a horrible string of accidents and coincidences that led to my pregnancy. I told Colin we needed to get away from my mother and find a way to keep the baby away from her, too."

Connor began to understand everything and leaned back in his chair a little. "Your plan was to hide out until you gave birth, give the baby up for adoption and then return to the city without telling your parents what had happened."

"Yeah, it was supposed to be that easy." Bowing her head a little Diane's eyes filled up with tears again as she remembered the vivid details of her recent experience and tried to keep her voice from breaking. "When I started to really get big and feel the baby kicking everything that felt like a nightmare suddenly became reality and I got scared. Then when it was time I was so afraid and in so much pain... Colin held my hand throughout the entire labor and delivery and Flint was supposed to just clean up the baby and take her to a hospital in Romulus, or even Ann Arbor, just to make sure my mother couldn't find her. I don't know why he went back to Detroit."

"We'll ask Flint that, as he too is in custody. Why didn't you go to a hospital to deliver the baby?"

"My mother's influence reaches really far and she has connections everywhere. We thought about going over the border to Canada to give the baby up in another country, but as soon as we used our passports..."

"Your mother would've been able to locate you."

"Yeah. We were going to drive to another state, Ohio or Indiana so I could give birth there, but I couldn't risk one of my mother's friends getting word on where we had gone to have the baby and telling her."

"What are your plans with the baby now?"

"Adoption. I'm too young to be a mother and Colin is too young to be a father. It may sound selfish but we want to live our own lives before we settle down and take care of a family. If, you know, we manage to stay together after everything that's happened."

"You're certain about the adoption?"

"Yes. I have the paperwork filled out and signed by both Colin and myself. We were just waiting to find the right family to take the baby, but Flint interfered and almost... Well, one bad decision led to another."

"I see. Thank you for your statement." Standing up from the chair Connor reclaimed his wallet and pulled out a card with his information on it and passed it over to Diane to take. "Thank you for talking to me, I'll be at the precinct and hovering close to the hospital as a precaution. If you need me just call and I'll come back to assist you."

"...Thank you, detective." Eyeing the card Diane noticed that the information had only one named attached, and she needed to ask why. "How come your card only has your first name?"

"Because I don't have a last name."

"...You're an android?"

Wanting to maintain Diane's trust Connor carefully peeled back the band aid over his right temple and showed the teenager his blue glowing L.E.D. without any hesitation. "Yes. My name is Connor, and no one else."

"Well, you're a better person than most of the people I know. So you're more than just a detective with one name to me."

"Thank you, Diane. Remain here and rest." Walking toward the door Connor gave the teenager additional words of comfort. "Your mother has been forbidden from seeing you, and if the hospital security fails to keep her back call me, and I'll take care of things. Your mother has no influence over me."

* * *

Dragging his left hand over his tired eyes Hank stumbled about the doctor's lounge of the hospital in search of coffee as he waited for Connor to find him. Keeping his ear to the conversations taking place all around him Hank could hear the odd discussions of troublesome patients, burned out colleagues and of course the tiny newborn baby that Connor had saved from the fire being the main topics of interest. When the nurses began to complain of a pushy woman in the waiting area demanding to see her daughter, claiming that she had the right to see her child and refusing to listen to reason, Hank had a feeling Mrs. Debra Wemilat had finally arrived.

"Shit." Opening the door Hank could hear the shouting from the waiting room and recognized the voice instantly. "The bitch is back..."

Security had gotten involved and was trying to dissuade Debra from being so loud and aggressive, but it wasn't enough. The rich, entitled woman had brought her personal lawyer along with her to the hospital to try to argue her way in, but even her own lawyer knew she couldn't override Diane's rights as an adult to get near Diane or the baby.

"I bet the N.I.C.U. is just having a blast right now..." Taking his leave of the lounge Hank headed down the corridor to get to the elevator to check out the secured area just in case they needed some back-up. As soon as he stepped onto the correct floor Hank saw Connor speaking with a doctor outside the door leading to the N.I.C.U. and knew the young deviant had officially gotten attached to the baby. "Damn it, kid... She's a person and not a stray animal. You can't just take her in."

"Hank." Connor noticed Hank immediately and nodded at the senior detective. "I have Diane's statement. We can return to the precinct now."

"Yeah? Good. But we're going to have to take the backdoor outta' here."

The comment made Connor's blue L.E.D. cycle to yellow with curiosity. "...Why's that?"

"Mrs. Wemilat is downstairs and raising hell about seeing her daughter."

"Oh."

"Come on. We'll take a discreet leave and see what Gavin found out regarding his interview with that 'Flint' guy."

"...No need." The yellow L.E.D. flashed to red rapidly then cycled back to yellow before settling on blue. "I've downloaded Gavin's interview."

"Cool. So, what's that guy's deal?"

"It appears Flint Allen was hired by a Martin Orwell-" Connor's brow furrowed slightly with disappointment as he relayed the information of the interview for Hank, and caused his L.E.D. to shift to yellow. The information gathered was rather bleak if not entirely tragic. "...Martin Orwell is Colin's father."

Giving the deviant an impatient stare Hank waited for the rest of the report. "What does he have to do with this mess?"

"According to Diane's statement Mr. Orwell disowned Colin because of the pregnancy as raising a child would inhibit Colin's ability to go to college, and potentially land a large multimillion dollar contract by being drafted into a professional football team."

Unsure if he wanted any more information Hank hesitated for a moment before urging Connor to continue. "...And?"

"Martin Orwell offered Flint Allen a ten-thousand dollar check to... abandon the baby in the house and to set the house on fire."

"...Orwell PAID Flint to try to murder his own granddaughter?! What the fuck..." Looking visibly sick Hank's shoulders slumped and his face paled as a new fire began to burn in his blue eyes. "How in the hell did THAT happen?"

"Apparently Mr. Orwell had been using Flint Allen as a drug connection and Flint had let it slip that Colin and Diane were hiding out with him."

"Why did those kids go to Flint to begin with?"

"According to the interview from Gavin's report Flint was a childhood friend of Colin who fell into drugs and dropped out of high school. Mr. Orwell had given Flint his first taste of 'red ice' and got him addicted."

"Son of a bitch..."

"When Mr. Orwell learned that Colin was still determined to finish high school, go to college and continue to play football he offered Flint the money to 'get rid of the baby'; thereby getting rid of Colin's hypothetical problem."

"For fuck sake." Righteously angry Hank didn't know what else to say other than the obvious. "It's a BABY, not a bad grade on a report card!"

"...I'm aware of that fact."

"Alright, so where's Martin Orwell now?"

"Gavin and Tina arrested him this morning. He was high and had copious amounts of 'red ice' strewn about the house. Not only is he being charged with soliciting infanticide and arson, but he's being charged with numerous counts of drug possession, as well as an investigation into child abuse despite Colin being legally an adult."

"GOOD. One less asshole trying to hurt her now."

Nervously Connor glanced back at the N.I.C.U. and nodded subtly as his yellow L.E.D. pulsed a little faster. "Hank, I strongly suggest that we don't leave the baby in the hospital."

"Security's here, kid. She'll be fine."

"From what Diane had told me Mrs. Wemilat has great influence over the community, including the hospital. I believe she's going to try to claim legal custody of the baby against Diane's wishes."

"Connor, what do you want us to do about it?" Exhausted and ready to just leave the whole damn case behind Hank gave the empathetic deviant a tired glance without any energy beyond his fiery gaze. "We're detectives, not social services."

"We may not be social services but we are sworn to protect and serve the innocent. Who is more innocent than that baby?"

"Kid, look-"

"Please, Hank. It'd be best for everyone if the baby was taken away from the hospital and the drama to allow the family to sort things through without arguing about rights, or parentage. If she's away from everything it'll help simplify things for the time being."

"Yeah, I agree about that. There's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"No one has the right to take that baby from the hospital. Her future is up in the air and who knows who'll decide it for her in the end."

As the L.E.D. cycled in a steady yellow Connor squared his jaw and gave Hank a steadfast and determined stare. "...We could."

"What? How?"

"Foster care. I know you're a part of the program."

"Man, I haven't fostered a kid since Cole was born." It had been almost a solid decade since Hank and his late wife Barbara had a foster kid under their protection back at their small but loving home. "I don't have it in me to do it again."

"Well... _I_ could apply for foster care and take her home for a while."

"YOU? You want to foster a kid?" Pointing at the N.I.C.U. Hank seemed absolutely dumbstruck by the offer. "And you want to start with her?"

"Yes." Leveling his voice Connor stood by his proposition and didn't show any sign of backing down. "I want to take care of the baby."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	6. Empathetic Bonds

The stubborn deviant's decision had resulted in a lengthy discussion between the two detectives as they began to argue against the very idea of Connor acting as a foster parent for the newborn baby, while also working on her case. The fact that Connor was willing to recuse himself from the investigation wasn't necessarily going to be a problem regarding the baby's care and the resulting case, but his complete lack of experience with caring for children and not having been approved for the foster care program was going to prove itself to be a real hindrance to overcome. 'Red tape' and professionalism wasn't the only thing that made Hank wary of the decision, and he was struggling to explain things to Connor without sounding cold or cruel.

"Connor, no." Trying to put his foot down on the matter Hank remained calm and reasonable as he attempted to get Connor to change his mind. "I get that you're worried for the baby and you just want to help, but I can't let you take care of her."

"Why not?" With his L.E.D. cycling in red Connor looked truly hurt and didn't understand why Hank was so against it. The senior detective liked kids and had a soft spot when it came to protecting them. It didn't make any sense that Hank wouldn't want to help the baby. "I may not have had a childhood or have any children of my own but I know I can take care of one baby and keep her safe while this case is being sorted out."

"Kid, I've seen the way you look at the baby whenever you're watching over her and feeding her." Putting his right palm on Connor's left shoulder in a grounding manner Hank leveled with his bullheaded partner. "You're already getting attached to her. When this mess is cleaned up and the baby finally gets placed in a family where she belongs you'll be all torn up inside once you're separated. I don't want to see you hurt."

"...I can handle it."

"You say that now but if you start to bond even more with that baby you won't be able to let her go. It's going to hurt and I don't want to see you hurting."

"What about the baby? She was taken from her biological parents the moment she was born, put in a decrepit, rotting house and was left there to die after the house was intentionally set on fire." Shaking his head a little Connor gave Hank an impressively empathetic stare as he relayed the baby's short but traumatic history. "Neither of her biological parents can take care of her, her maternal grandfather doesn't want to take care of her, her paternal grandfather tried to have her killed, and her maternal grandmother is mentally unsound. I'm the only one she knows she can trust."

"Connor, please. Don't get involved."

"The moment I risked _my_ life to save _her_ life I became involved." Stepping back from the senior detective and toward the N.I.C.U. Connor refused to back down on his decision. "I won't abandon her like the rest of her family has already done. I won't do that to her or _anyone_ else. I know how it feels..."

"Whoa, what?" Rushing to put himself between Connor and the N.I.C.U. door Hank gave the deviant a worried glance. Searching over Connor's soulful brown eyes Hank could see the pain in his partner's eyes and knew he was speaking from personal experience. "What do you mean you know how it feels?"

"...CyberLife." The reply was somber and low. "I... I deviated and they readily dismissed me with no further purpose. When I was with Markus during the night of the Revolution CyberLife attempted to regain control over my programming, and in order to do that they had to lock away my consciousness in a desolate icy wasteland. They had abandoned me, the _real me_, to die alone and let my shell of a body assassinate Markus. I managed to escape but even then I was left with nothing after successfully removing CyberLife from my programming."

"Shit, kid. Why didn't you tell me that sooner?"

"I don't know. Because it wasn't important, I guess."

"It _was_ important, son. Why would you say otherwise?"

"...In that time I found you and you took me in. I had been abandoned and then taken in, and I just want to do the same for the baby. I know what it's like to feel entirely alone, and it's... wrong. She shouldn't be exposed to that type of loneliness."

Completely floored by the admission Hank just stood idle as Connor resumed walking toward the N.I.C.U. and the baby. Unable to stop Connor from leaving all Hank could do was watch as Connor showed his clearance badge and his shield to the security guard outside the N.I.C.U.'s entrance to step inside the protected room to be with the baby once more.

"Fuckin' hell..." Pulling his phone from his coat pocket Hank scrolled through his list of contacts and connections he had made throughout his impressive career as a detective and honed in on a number he hadn't called in over a decade, and pressed 'dial'. The line rang only twice before Hank heard the voice on the other end answer, and he spoke to an old friend he had nearly forgotten about. "Hey, Alicia." Smirking as the familiar feminine voice responded with shocked enthusiasm despite the early morning hour upon hearing Hank's voice. "Yeah, it has been a long time. Look, uh," glancing at the window allowing visual access to the N.I.C.U. Hank watched as Connor resumed hovering protectively over the incubator to watch over the sleeping baby and took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "I need a favor... A _big_ favor."

* * *

Unable to think of anything beyond protecting the baby who needed someone, _anyone_ to step up as her guardian, Connor stayed beside the incubator and watched as the baby that he and Nurse Ada Giles had dubbed "Hannah" slept peacefully in the warm safe space. Not wanting to accidentally disturb her Connor remained quiet and just watched over the tiny baby, and ran a scan over her person to track her now stable, healthy vital signs.

"You won't be alone for long, Hannah." Whispering as to not disturb the baby's sleep Connor just watched her as his L.E.D. slow cycled in yellow in his right temple with a true urge to protect her overwhelming his mind. "I'll find a way to keep you safe."

Staying beside the incubator for almost an hour Connor watched as Hannah slowly awoke from her nap and glanced about the transparent plastic case of the incubator with her dark blue eyes, and slowly moved her hands and feet as she laid on her back with nowhere really to go.

"You're already quite strong. I just wish you didn't have to solely rely on other people for your care for the legally required minimum of seventeen years. I know you're going to be someone very special when you grow up."

The door to the N.I.C.U. slid open as Hank and a woman in her late forties with her raven black hair pulled back in a neat bun, a deep complexion, a dark red pant-suit, low heeled black pumps, and an electronic clipboard in her right hand entered the room to speak to Connor. The deviant's L.E.D. remained yellow as he watched his partner and the unknown woman approach the incubator to talk to him.

"Connor?" The woman stated in a kind and inquisitive voice. "My name is Alicia Wallis. I'm a social worker who approves candidates for foster care."

As Connor scanned over the woman's face to confirm her identity and her credentials his L.E.D. briefly shifted to red with intrigued confusion before returning to a cautious yellow. "Hello." Extending his right hand to shake and greet her more properly Connor glanced over at Hank who seemed to be nervous about something but maintaining his composure all the same. "...Are you here to discuss the baby's case?"

"Yes. From what I understand you wish to foster the baby until she can be placed with a permanent family."

"...That's correct."

"Since Lieutenant Anderson had already been approved for the program and I understand you two are both partners at the precinct and share the same residence I'm willing to allow you to take temporary custody over the baby, and have a social worker check in on your progress from time to time."

Connor's warm brown eyes widened slightly as he realized Hank had relented in his previous decision. "...I have permission to take the baby to the house and remain her temporary guardian?"

"That's right." Holding out the clipboard for Connor to take Alicia gave him a kind smile. "I had to pull some strings and greatly emphasize that you're a detective who wanted to shelter a newborn, but I was able to get the proper paperwork filed. We just need your signature."

"Y-Yes, of course." Taking the clipboard being offered Connor signed his name quickly and passed it back over to Alicia to take. "Thank you."

Looking down at the name on the clipboard Alicia's smile faltered for a moment. "O-Oh, uh, you need to have a full name for the signature to be valid."

"...I don't have a surname."

Hank cleared his throat and took the clipboard from Alicia's hand for a moment. "Hold on, just use my name." Adding a middle initial of 'H' behind Connor's name and then tagging on 'Anderson' Hank initialed the document to confirm the signature was valid and then signed the final line before he handed the clipboard back over to Alicia to take. "There. Now what?"

"Just as before," Alicia needlessly reminded Hank with a supportive tone as she confirmed everything was in order. "you need to just be her guardian and keep the baby safe until everything gets sorted. I'll be in touch."

Connor nodded a little as he looked down at Hannah and gave her a gentle grin. "See? I told you that I'd find a way to keep you safe."

While Alicia smiled at the comment Hank put his hands to his hips and gave Connor a wary glance. "It's not that simple, kid. You're going to stay here with the baby and cybernetically file the paperwork at the precinct, and I'm going to go grab a few things out of storage."

Still a little confused Connor shot Hank an odd glance as his brow arched inquisitively. "Storage?"

"Yeah. We can't exactly get the baby to the house without a car seat, or give her a place to sleep without a crib."

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

"I kept most of Cole's baby things in storage so I just need to load up the car, get a few things dropped off at the house, then come back and get you both."

A relieved grin appeared on Connor's face at the comment. "Thank you, Hank."

"Yeah, sure. Just do me one favor, kid."

"What's that?"

Nodding at the incubator warily Hank gave Connor a pleading glance. "...Try not to get more attached to her than you already are."

"I-" Glancing down at Hannah as the newborn became more and more alert and began to make sounds in response to the voice speaking around her Connor knew that the favor was one he may be unable to keep. "...I'll do my best."

* * *

Despite the initial protests from both Hank and then Captain Fowler the baby was finally able to leave the hospital and go to a home to be safe and sound from the chaos of the world around her. After being shown a few more techniques on proper care for a newborn; holding her properly, feeding, diaper changes, signs of potentially poor health and other details, Connor was able to change Hannah into a small pale blue 'onesie' and gently place her in the baby carrier/car seat to carry her out of the hospital, and to the car parked out back behind the hospital.

Hank was utterly exhausted but now having a newborn in his care, despite Connor technically being the baby's guardian, had filled him with much needed energy. Walking with Connor as they walked toward the elevator to return to the ground floor of the hospital Hank gave Connor a wary look. "Ready to handle this?"

"I wouldn't have volunteered my time if I wasn't ready."

"Good. I'll help ya' out, but since you recused yourself from the investigation I'm going to have to fill in Gavin and Tina on the details, and start work on a new case myself."

"I understand." The elevator doors opened and Connor stepped through with the baby carrier in his right hand and angled in such a way that Hannah could see where she was going as Connor walked and carried her about. It didn't take long for the two detectives to hear the infamous Debra Wemilat still screaming to the point where her voice was getting hoarse, and still arguing with security once they reached the ground floor. "...Normally I'd suggest intervening with the argument, but right now I think it'd be best to keep moving."

"You're damn right."

Walking through the receptionist area right past Debra, the crazed and entitled woman having no clue that her granddaughter was being taken away from her just a few feet away, Connor held his head high and didn't show any sign of hesitation for choosing to play 'daddy' for a while. As soon as they were outside of the hospital and in the warm summer air Connor felt a tremendous weight of guilt lift from his shoulders, and eyes brightened.

"Good thing I picked the blue 'onesie' for her to wear." Hank remarked somewhat smugly as he looked down at Hannah in the carrier. "If she was wearing the traditionally feminine colors then that crazy bitch might've tried to stop us." Feeling confident Hank motioned to the car parked in a nearby spot behind the large building and opened up the passenger side door to push the passenger seat forward. "The backseat isn't huge but it's big enough to safely accommodate the car seat. I tested it when I picked it up from storage."

"Thank you for doing this, Hank. I'm glad you're willing to help her out."

"Well, you were right. She does need a safe place to be and get away from the drama for a while." Stepping aside Hank watched as Connor easily placed the car seat into the backseat and secured it perfectly into place. As the deviant stepped back Hank replaced the seat and motioned for Connor to sit down. "And since I already have everything ready to go to help her out it only make sense to let you have your chance to experience something entirely new when it comes to humanity."

"Are you referring to parenthood?"

"_Fatherhood_ to be exact."

"I'm looking forward to it." Glancing at Hannah in the backseat as the baby let out a small yawn Connor felt his yellow L.E.D. return to blue and his stress leave his mind entirely. "...I hope she'll enjoy being somewhere quieter and safe."

"She will, son." Sitting down in the driver's seat Hank turned over the engine and turned on the air conditioning to cool off the car and make sure that the little baby wasn't too warm in the summer heated car. "She may be baby 'Jane Doe' at the hospital, but while she's at the house she can be baby 'Jane Anderson'."

"...Hannah."

"Said what?"

"Hannah." Connor repeated casually as Hank pulled the car out of the parking lot and got onto the street to head for home. "That's what Nurse Giles and I have been calling her. It was her suggestion that Hannah get a real name to help her case gain some traction and be handled quicker."

"...Alright." Shaking his head a little as he realized it was far too late to keep Connor from becoming too attached to the baby Hank addressed Hannah by her (un)official name with a breathy sigh. "Hannah it is. She doesn't have a middle name, does she?"

"No. Hannah will suffice for now."

"Yeah, you're right." Glancing up at the baby's reflection in the rearview mirror Hank couldn't stop a paternally proud grin from appearing on his face. "As long as she has a real first name and someone to look after her that's all that matters."

* * *

Exhausted and in need of sleep Hank had passed out on the couch while Connor set up the crib in his own bedroom and while Hannah remained in the carrier on the coffee table beside the couch until she could lay down for a proper nap. While Hank slept on his back and stretched out over the length of the couch Sumo sat on the floor next to the coffee table and pressed his chin down over the surface as he stared at Hannah with his big brown eyes. The massive dog sensed right away that he needed to help protect Hannah as well.

As Hank began to softly snore Connor returned to the livingroom and gently plucked Hannah out of the carrier and held her to his chest to carry her down the hallway and into his bedroom so she could lay down in the rebuilt, cleaned and padded crib.

"Come on, Hannah." Having finally changed out of the scrubs and into his blue jeans and a black t-shirt Connor appeared much more like himself, and far more comfortable. "I'm going to let you get used to the crib and then I'm going to check through the clothes you can possibly wear."

The small baby just seemed to melt into Connor's shoulder as he carried her to the bedroom and very gently placed her down in the crib. Placing a small white baby blanket that had two kittens embroidered on the bottom right corner over Hannah's legs Connor was confident she would be warm while napping, but wouldn't have to worry about the blanket covering her face.

"For what it's worth," he whispered to the baby as Sumo slowly plodded into the bedroom and laid down at the foot of the crib to continue to protect the tiny newborn baby. "it seems your mother and father do care about you very much. They just aren't ready to be parents, and it's not your fault that you were born into this mess."

Hannah just made small noises as her hands grabbed onto the blanket on her legs weakly, but failed to move it around.

"In time you'll find a family that'll give you a place to belong. I can feel it."

It didn't take long for the baby's blue eyes to close and her noises to quiet down as Hannah fell prey to fatigue and settled in for another nap.

"I'm going to be down the hallway Hannah. You'll be safe here."

Walking away from the crib Connor wandered down the hallway and into the livingroom where he proceeded to put the carrier down on the floor in the corner of the livingroom, and then went into the kitchen to sort through the plastic totes of baby clothing that Hank had brought out of storage. As he took the clothing from the totes and identified the clothes that were the right size for Hannah to wear Connor heard a soft knocking on the front door that stole his attention.

Hank was too deep asleep to be disturbed and Sumo remained in the bedroom beside the crib to keep an eye on Hannah. Walking into the livingroom Connor opened the front door and was greeted by Alicia who had a colleague with her. "Oh, Mrs. Wallis." For a moment Connor's blue L.E.D. flickered to yellow, then it went back to blue. "I wasn't aware you'd be stopping by so soon."

"Hello, Connor. I hope this isn't a bad time."

"No, come inside." Stepping aside Connor allowed the two women inside the house. "Hannah is napping down the hallway in her crib at the moment."

"Hannah?" Alicia smiled at the name and looked at Hank's face as the senior detective continued to sleep on the couch. "That's a lovely name."

"Thank you."

Turning her attention to her colleague Alicia provided introductions and kept her upbeat attitude in response to the circumstances. "This is Sandra Osmond. She's been assigned as your case worker while everything regarding _Hannah's_ care is being sorted out."

Connor nodded and extended his right hand out toward Sandra to greet her in the same respectful manner as he had done to Alicia earlier that morning. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Osmond."

"Where's the baby?" Sandra replied rather coldly as she begrudgingly shook Connor's hand, and stared at the blue L.E.D. glowing in his temple with visible disdain in her eyes. She was in her early thirties, had platinum blonde hair that was cut short, piercing blue eyes, a black skirt and matching blazer, low red heels and a heartless gaze. "I wish to see her current environment."

"As I stated earlier she is napping down the hallway. I'll show you to her crib." Connor did his best to not take Sandra's cold demeanor personally as he escorted the two women down the hallway to check on Hannah, and entered the bedroom very quietly. "I was going through the clothing in the kitchen when you arrived."

Sandra glanced about the bedroom, taking note of the modest furnishings as Connor didn't need much, and examined the crib closely. Without disturbing Hannah in the process Sandra peered down at the newborn and gave her a silent nod. "Is this all she has?"

"No. Her clothing is in the kitchen to be sorted and washed, same with stuffed toys and bottles."

"Diapers?"

Without missing a beat Connor slid open his closet door and showed the six full boxes of diapers stacked up neatly inside the storage space. On the shelf above the boxes were bottles of baby powder, cream, lotions and a changing mat. Thanks to Hank they already had all the supplies they'd need.

"Formula?"

"In the kitchen with her bottles, and if it becomes necessary there is a highchair to feed her from."

Alicia nodded in approval as she patted the side of Connor's right arm. They watched Sandra turn her nose up at the sight of Sumo sweetly watching over the baby, and walked back down the hallway to find her way into the kitchen. Alicia seemed to have been anticipating Sandra's reactions and was trying to reassure Connor that patience would pay off.

"There's a decent selection of bottles, tops and a large assortment of formula..." Sandra was chronicling everything in the kitchen, and proceeded to go through the storage totes on the kitchen table to note the clean clothes, blankets and the various stuffed animals that were ready to be played with again. It was everything any good parent would have and yet Sandra didn't seemed impressed, she seemed suspicious. "This is quite a lot to have in just a few hours of being approved for the foster care program."

"Hank," motioning to the senior detective sleeping through the entire visit on the couch Connor explained things logically. "had a son who has tragically passed away due injuries he sustained in a car accident. Hank had placed his late son's possessions in storage, and from what I understand Hank and his late wife had planned on having more children before she too passed away after being injured in the line of duty."

"I see..."

"May I ask what I'm doing wrong?"

Sandra gave the deviant an irritated glance as she practically glared at Connor. "Pardon?"

"You're clearly upset with what you're seeing, and I wish to correct any errors to ensure Hannah is properly taken care of."

Upon hearing the question Sandra's eyes narrowed at Connor as if offended, and didn't want to answer. "Aside from your partner's experience with being a father what experience do you have with childcare?"

"I received guidance from nurses while I was spending time with Hannah at the hospital."

"So you've never spent any time with children before?"

"No, I have not."

Seemingly proud to write down that information a thin smile appeared on Sandra's face and she seemed to be checking off special boxes mentally. "...Interesting."

"However, I feel my lack of experience is an unfair assessment of my ability to take care of Hannah."

"And why's that?"

Pointing to the bandages still wrapped around his left forearm Connor held up the damaged limb and explained his logic. "I had been wounded while rescuing her from the burning building, and as you should be very familiar with, every parent is new at some point in their life. To act as though my first attempt to care for a child should be marked as a poor trait is not only illogical, but it's unfair." Nodding at Alicia without drawing too much attention toward her Connor continued his explanation. "All parents must learn _how_ to be a parent at some point, and the only way to learn is to _experience_ parenthood firsthand."

The thin smile faded into a cold frown as Connor's logic was infallible. "Well, that's easy enough for humans to experience. I doubt a machine can truly understand the difficulty of parenthood."

"If me being an android is somehow a hindrance to Hannah's care in your eyes I can assure you that it's unfounded. Numerous other androids were programmed specifically with childcare in mind. I can easily download the same software and incorporate the proper techniques into my daily routine."

Sandra seemed to be truly annoyed that Connor had a logical and positive answer for everything that she was attempting to twist in a negative light. "I'll be back in two days to check in on the baby."

Connor's mouth ticked a little as he watched the blonde woman storm through the kitchen and back toward the front door in the livingroom. "Should I purchase anything else, or change anything to make improvements?"

"...Just wait until our next appointment."

Alicia silently mouthed the words 'You're doing great.' before she too took her leave. "While everything's being sorted at your precinct regarding Hannah's case you two just focus on taking care of her, and we'll be in touch."

"Yes, of course." As if on cue Hannah suddenly began to cry and Connor immediately went down the hallway to check on the newborn baby. His blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow, then red before settling back on yellow. "I'll see you in two days."

Smiling at Connor's immediate reaction and instinct to take care of the baby Alicia knew that Hannah was in good hands even if her colleague didn't believe that an android could take care of her. "I'll see you then, Connor." Passing by the couch Alicia just smirked at Hank as the exhausted senior detective continued to snore away and sleep. "It's nice to see you again, Hank. Hopefully next time you'll be awake."

While Sandra and Alicia let themselves out through the front door Hank caught the sound of the newborn cries, and lifted his head up from the couch just in time to see Connor walking back down the hallway with Hannah protectively in his arms.

A little confused by the sound then remembering fairly quickly all the horrible events of the bizarre case that he and Connor had just handled, Hank sat upright slowly on the couch to look at the deviant trying to soothe the crying newborn. "...Hey, kid."

"Hello, Hank." Connor still had Hannah resting against his chest and was using his left hand to rub Hannah's back soothingly. "You missed Mrs. Wallis and Hannah's social worker, Sandra Osmond."

"Are you serious?" Dragging his right hand over his tired face Hank sighed and watched as Connor began to pace back and forth behind the couch in an attempt to soothe Hannah. "I slept through a fuckin' social worker visit?"

"Yes. It appears Mrs. Osmond is not a fan of androids and may become a hindrance in my attempt to care for Hannah."

"Well, fuck her. Humans have to learn how to take care of humans, and then humans programmed androids to do the same thing. It's stupid to hold that against you."

"I'm glad you agree." Wincing a little as Hannah cried louder right in his ear Connor paused, his L.E.D. flashing to red before returning to yellow, and he looked to Hank for guidance. "...She woke up very upset and I do not know why."

"Did something wake her up?"

"No, she woke up on her own."

"Does she need to be changed?"

"No, she's clean."

"Is she hungry?"

"...I do not know."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Standing up from the couch Hank trudged into the kitchen and set about preparing a bottle of formula for the newborn to drink while he did his best to ignore the temptation of coffee calling his name. The last thing he needed was coffee to give him insomnia while he was still tired and needing to sleep in his bed. Placing the kettle under the sink Hank filled it up with clean water then put it on the burner on the stove to heat up. "Any update from the precinct?"

Connor resumed pacing with Hannah and was joined by Sumo as the massive dog sat down at the end of the hallway and watched his deviant master tending to the unexpected but very welcome addition to the household with a curious stare. "I can check in, just give me a moment." Closing his eyes Connor cybernetically tapped into the precinct and received an update on the case and with the update a mixture of feelings began to arise ranging from relief, to dread and sorrow. "...Colin was released from the precinct and is visiting with Diane at the hospital. Diane herself will be released from the hospital in two more days if she doesn't suffer any further complications or infections."

"Okay, good so far." Taking the kettle from the stove before it had the chance to heat up to its maximum degree and whistle Hank poured the warm water into a nearby clean bottle and found the cooking thermometer in a nearby drawer. Checking to make sure the water wasn't too hot Hank added the proper amount of powdered formula to the bottle and added the water as he mixed it up rhythmically until the powder was fully dissolved. "What about the arsonist?"

"Flint Allen is being charged with arson, malicious destruction of private property, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder on top of his numerous drug charges. It's possible he'll also be charged with trespassing on the property of the destroyed house and other assault charges due to the heinous nature of the act."

"Even better."

"...Martin Orwell is also being charged with attempted murder, and due to his biological connection to Hannah he'll also be charged with attempted infanticide. Like Flint, he'll be charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and he'll be brought up on numerous drug charges. Colin will testify against his father and confirm the years of drug abuse, alcohol abuse and even child abuse, as well as neglect."

"Alright..." Screwing on the top to the bottle of fresh formula Hank returned to the livingroom and motioned for Connor to stop pacing and to sit down on the couch so Hannah could be fed. "And what about Diane's parents?"

"Robert Wemilat has been informed of Diane's current condition and of the restrictions against Debra Wemilat, and has been very cooperative with the police. He has corroborated Diane's statement regarding his wife's previous behavior toward their daughter as well."

"Right. See if she drink this." Rejoining Connor in the livingroom Hank passed the bottle over to the deviant and watched as Connor readjusted the fussing newborn in his left arm so he could offer the baby the bottle. It didn't take long for Hannah to latch onto the bottle and began to greedily drink and placate her hunger. "Yup, she was hungry."

"I'm glad you're here to help me, Hank." Connor admitted rather somberly. "I'm very interested in protecting Hannah and helping her to find a place in this world to belong, but I admit being unable to rely on past experiences for childcare feels incredibly limiting."

"Yeah, well, no one should have to raise a newborn alone. It can be pretty stressful." Thinking about the first day he brought Cole home from the hospital, and how exhausted Barbara had been after the birth, Hank felt a piece of his heart beginning to ache at the memories of his lost family. Using his thumb under his left eye to wipe away a rogue tear before it had the chance to fall Hank changed the subject back to the case. "...Uh, I hate to ask this, but what was the behavior that Diane's mother showed that made it important to the case?"

Connor's yellow L.E.D. turned red for a moment as he prepared to tell Hank the heartbreaking story that Diane had told him, and had been subsequently taken as Diane's statement. "...Well, the details are unsettling but they do answer the disturbing question as to how Debra is responsible for her own daughter's unexpected pregnancy."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	7. Overcoming Obstacles

It took two weeks for the precinct to sort out the mess and to bring the case of arson to trial. With the testimony of Colin and Diane, as well as the evidence of Flint having started the fire piling up against him; the phone call regarding the fire, the traces of gasoline all over Flint's clothing from that night, traffic cameras recording his vehicle driving to a gas station to get the accelerant used to start the fire, then driving down the street where the abandoned house was set ablaze, Flint Allen was sentenced to forty years in prison without the possibility of parole for committing arson, attempted murder in the first degree, solicitation for murder, drug possession and numerous other violations.

The same week Colin's father was brought up on charges for the solicitation of attempted murder, attempted murder of the third degree, drug possession and child abuse for throwing Colin out onto the street when he was still sixteen years of age; only turning seventeen three months afterward. Martin Orwell was sentenced to thirty years in prison, and like Flint he would not be eligible for parole.

Despite Colin's attempt to kidnap the baby from the hospital it was determined that he had no malicious intent and was merely trying to protect himself and Diane from Diane's greedy mother. The hospital did have him charged with trespassing for stealing the hospital clearance badge and was fined for his misdeed, which of course Diane's father paid on the young man's behalf, and afterward Colin was put on a year of probation. He was also able to keep his scholarship despite his less than stellar decisions as of late.

It was a somber and macabre set of circumstances as the two men were sentenced to prison and taken away, and yet it was also a huge relief. Two dangerous and selfish people were off the streets, but Hannah still had nowhere to go. While neither Diane or Colin were being charged with any wrongdoing due to the unfortunate circumstances that they were forced into the young parents weren't ready to be parents at all, and didn't seek custody of their daughter.

Diane had returned home to face her parents and refused to tell her mother where the baby was out of a need to protect Hannah from her own grandmother's psychosis, which in turn led to a whole new wave of drama for the teenager to survive. Maintaining secret contact with Connor as he had proven to be a trustworthy ally for her during her time of need Diane learned that Connor had taken on her baby through the foster care system, and was relieved to know it.

Connor easily took to fatherhood and carried Hannah about the livingroom in an attempt to rock her to sleep, and slowly paced back and forth from one end of the livingroom to the other. Scanning the two week old's body Connor confirmed that Hannah was developing normally, was perfectly healthy and seemed to be a completely normal infant despite her abnormal beginning.

"Perhaps the swing will soothe you to sleep." The deviant thought out loud as Hannah resisted going down for a nap and made small annoyed sounds of protest. Carrying Hannah over to the small swing that Connor had ordered the day after his first visit from Alicia and Sandra the deviant gently placed Hannah down in the soft seat and began to push on the swing to rock her in a gentle rhythm. "The sooner you adjust to a sleep schedule the better it'll be for us both."

Sitting on the floor beside the swing Connor watched the infant with utter fascination and felt an odd lightness and warmth spreading through his heart as he took in the sight of the tiny baby in his care settling down in the swing, and finally closing her blue eyes to go to sleep.

"I'm glad this worked. Now I can wash your blanket without having to worry about leaving you alone for too long." Just as he was about to stand up from the floor the front door opened and Hank returned home after his shortened shift at the precinct. "Hello, Hank."

"Hey, Connor." Noticing that Hannah was sleeping in the swing against the wall in the livingroom Hank quietly closed the door behind himself as he slipped off his shoes and walked over to the couch to sit down. "How's Hannah?"

"Sleeping well. Alicia and Sandra will be stopping by today."

"Again? What for?"

"...Well, I've been speaking with Diane and she's willing to allow me to... adopt Hannah."

Hank's eyes widened as he slumped back against the couch cushions and gave the deviant a rather shocked stare. "...Are you serious? _Adoption_?"

"Yes. Diane and Colin have taken the proper legal steps to claim parentage over Hannah and have filled out the necessary paperwork to turn over custody to me through private, closed adoption. A part of the adoption process requires Hannah's social worker examining the house and determining whether or not this is a safe environment for Hannah."

"...You_ really_ want to adopt her?" Looking past Connor and over to the sleeping baby Hank shook his head slightly with true amazement. "You do know that means you're going to be her legal father, her sole parent at that, and will be expected to-"

"I know what's expected of me, Hank." Interrupting firmly Connor made sure Hank knew that he was certain in his final decision. "I know that what I'm about to do is going to permanently change my life, and it's a change I want. Hannah needs me, and in a strange way I feel like I need her, too."

Unsure of what else to say Hank just dragged his right hand over his tired blue eyes and let out a deep sigh.

It was easy to sense Hank's reluctance to accept the situation and with that reluctance Connor made his final decision. "...Once the adoption is finalized I will locate an apartment that can comfortably accommodate Hannah and myself to prevent further intrusion."

"Whoa, whoa..." Taking offense at the last comment Hank sat upright again and put his left hand down on Connor's right shoulder. "You're not intruding, son. Neither is Hannah. I just want to make sure you've thought such a big change through. You can't just give her back if something happens and you feel too overwhelmed to handle fatherhood anymore."

"I won't be overwhelmed, Hank." Turning to look at Hannah as she napped peacefully Connor gave the tiny baby a wary glance as his blue L.E.D. briefly cycled to yellow before returning to blue. "And I won't give up on keeping her safe."

Hearing the sincerity in Connor's voice gave Hank a much needed sense of relief. "...Okay, kid. I'll support you on this."

"Thank you."

"And don't you _dare_ think about moving out with Hannah any time soon."

Brow knit with confusion Connor turned to look at Hank again with an inquisitive stare. "...Why's that?"

"Well, you still need some pointers on dealing with babies and I have the experience you need."

"Thank you, but we can't stay here forever."

"Who said that _I_ have to stay in _this house_ forever?"

The offer made Connor's L.E.D. flash red suddenly before cycling back to a calm blue. "...You'd be willing to purchase a larger house and allow Hannah and myself to continue to reside with you?"

"Yup." Without any hesitation whatsoever Hank confirmed that he was going to stay true to his offer. "I've gotten used to having a roommate and I don't want to be alone with just Sumo anymore. Damn dog needs too much attention." Leaning over slightly Hank looked at Hannah's face and gave the infant a warm grin. "Besides, it's nice to have a baby around again. It makes me feel young."

"You're not even old, Hank."

"The gray hair and arthritis beg to differ, son."

"As do I."

"Thanks, kid."

There was a firm knocking at the front door that made Hank and Connor look toward the door while Sumo barked once from down the hallway in Connor's bedroom. The loyal dog was determined to watch over Hannah while she slept in the crib, and his old bones didn't like it when he kept getting up and down to follow after her. Instead he chose to lay beside the crib and wait for Hannah to return.

Rising from the couch Hank walked over to the front door and was greeted by Alicia and Sandra, and let them inside the house. "Good afternoon, ladies."

"Hi, Hank." Alicia responded with a sincerely warm smile as she stepped inside the house. "How've you been?"

"Not bad. I'm missing my partner at work, but..." Nodding at the baby swing as Connor stayed beside Hannah on the floor Hank gave the deviant a paternally proud smile. "He's been busy."

"And it looks like he's been having a blast with being a father." Noticing the new swing as well as the brand new baby blankets and children's books on the furniture and coffee table Alicia just grinned. "Everything looks great from where I'm standing."

Sandra spoke up in a very snooty agitated voice as she began checking over the livingroom once more and all but glared holes in Connor's face. "Well, that's not for you to decide. That's why I'm here."

Connor refused to show an offense as he stood up from the floor and gave the cold woman a kind greeting. "Hello, Mrs. Osmond."

"Connor."

"It's been twelve days since your last visit, and I'm sure you've noticed that I-"

"Is this all of the baby's items?" She interrupted as she looked about the livingroom as if disgusted by the sight of the new swing and blankets.

"No. I purchased new clothes, a changing table, pacifiers, I installed a mobile over her crib and I've purchased numerous recipe books for meals designed specifically for infant health."

"Show me."

"Of course." Glancing back down at Hannah before taking his leave Connor showed Sandra back down the hallway to his rearranged bedroom where she could see the new purchases for herself. On top of the listed items there were also several new stuffed animals and soft toys for Hannah to play with without hurting herself in the process. "I've also preemptively purchased teething rings in the event she-"

"Is this dog always in the room?" She nearly snarled as she looked down at the completely harmless Saint Bernard napping on the floor beside the crib.

"Sumo is a very gentle and loyal dog. He is not aggressive in any manner and his particular breed makes him a determined protector. Saint Bernards are deemed to be an ideal family pet due to their gentle and loyal nature."

Making more notes Sandra gave Connor an annoyed tone. "Let me see the bathroom."

The blue L.E.D. briefly shifted to yellow with irritation before returning to its normal blue coloration as Connor stepped outside of the bedroom and pushed open the bathroom door so Sandra could inspect the area. "I've taken the proper precautionary steps despite Hannah not even being ambulatory. There is a seal over-"

"What do you use to give her a bath?"

"Her umbilical cord hadn't fully de-"

"Answer the question."

Remaining calm and collected Connor showed Sandra the small plastic tub used for tending to infants, small wipes and the sensitive skin soap nearby. There were soft pink and purple terrycloth towels purchased just for Hannah as well.

"I see. Show me what you have in the kitchen."

It didn't take a detective to see that Sandra clearly had a grudge and bias against Connor taking legal custody over a human baby. Despite her heavy disdain Connor was determined to show that he was ready and fully capable of being a respectable father for Hannah. Escorting Sandra to the kitchen Connor allowed her to check every cupboard, the refrigerator and the pantry to ensure everything was in order.

"There is no alcohol in the house." Connor stated firmly as he watched Sandra's body language falter slightly as he knew she was looking for absolutely anything condemning to use against him during her search. "I've also taken steps to ensure the dangerous cleaning products were moved from beneath the kitchen sink and placed on a high shelf in the laundry room where Hannah cannot possibly get to them."

Sandra turned from the cupboards and looked at the spotless kitchen floor, then honed in on the two dog food bowls that were placed on an elevated platform to keep them off the floor. "Is there something wrong with your dog?"

"No. I'm keeping his bowls off the ground in the event that Hannah crawls about and potentially locates his bowls. I don't want her accidentally ingesting the dog food or accidentally spilling the bowls over herself."

Making notes in her clipboard Sandra marched out of the kitchen and through the backdoor to examine the small backyard. It was a completely opened space that had a perfectly maintained lawn with no dangerous rocks to be tripped over, a small flower bed that had been cleaned up and weeded, and a small area that would support a small swing set when the time came for Hannah to play outside.

"Is there anything you wish to see, Mrs. Osmond?"

"...No." Turning around abruptly Sandra walked through the backdoor and back into the kitchen. Giving Connor a cold glare Sandra returned to the livingroom and stood before the front door to take her leave. Giving Alicia a rather rude nod Sandra turned the knob on the front door to push the door open. "I've seen everything I need to see."

Connor trailed into the livingroom after Sandra and knelt down beside the swing and checked in on Hannah once more. "...Shouldn't you actually see the baby you are supposed to be looking out for?"

From where he sat on the couch Hank had to drag his right hand over his chin and mouth to keep himself from laughing at the snappy retort.

"No." Sandra looked away angrily as Alicia joined her at the door to leave. "That won't be necessary."

Alicia gave Connor a subtle nod of approval and smiled as the appointment came to an end. "Well, everything looks great. You three take care now, maybe I'll see you again some time."

Hank dropped his hand as he turned to look at Alicia and grinned with enthusiastic pride. "Yeah, thanks for stopping by."

The front door closed with a soft 'click' and with the visit over Connor felt like he had just begun to fight. "...I suspect Mrs. Osmond is going to attempt to interfere with the adoption."

"She doesn't have any right to do that, son. You know as well as I do that once the biological parents legally sign over custody to another person then social services cannot do anything to stop it. All you need to do is sit down with Diane and Colin to sign the adoption papers with a notary present, and you're in the clear."

"I truly hope it's that simple, Hank." Very lightly Connor put his right palm down over Hannah's tummy and noticed she was a little chilly. Taking a nearby baby blanket that had been perfectly folded on the coffee table in his hands Connor draped the warm blanket over Hannah without disturbing her in the process. "I just hope that once everything is settled Hannah will be able to have a calm and comfortable childhood without any unnecessary drama. I want her to be happy."

Giving the deviant a grin of approval Hank glanced over at Hannah and noted her peaceful face as she napped. "Spoken like a true father..."

* * *

After three additional days Connor was contacted by Diane to meet her and Colin at her own father's private office in the Wemilat Hotel in the middle of downtown Detroit. Leaving Hannah in Hank's care for the afternoon Connor agreed to the meeting, and was ready to sign the final pieces of the legally mandated paperwork to take legal custody of Hannah as his own daughter. Having dressed in his usual work uniform to appear professional and calm Connor was shown to the appropriate office on the top floor of the hotel, and was met by Mr. Robert Wemilat himself as he approached the locked door.

"...You must be Connor." Robert stated as he gave the deviant android a rather kind smile as he extended his right hand outward for Connor to shake. "I'm Robert Wemilat."

"Indeed I am, my name is Connor. I appreciate you allowing Diane access to your private office for this arrangement."

"Well, it's the very least I could do for her. And I unfortunately mean that in the most accurate sense..."

The revelation made Connor's blue L.E.D. blink yellow once before returning to blue. "You feel guilty for what Diane has gone through."

"And Colin." Admitting his wary feelings Robert stood before Connor and didn't even try to hide the shame in his dark blue eyes as he ran his fingers through his his salt and pepper locks of hair. "I knew my wife was 'baby crazy', but I never though she'd use our own daughter as an incubator to get her way. She's even begun speaking about the baby as if she's already at the house and is a daughter, not a granddaughter."

"How so?"

"Debra decorated the guest room as a new baby's room; crib, diapers, toys, a fresh coat of purple paint on the walls... She even had the name 'Priscilla' painted on the wall in white calligraphy to make the room truly her own. I know that 'Priscilla' is a name Debra loves, and Diane hadn't even thought about names for the baby when she was still pregnant. There's no way that was Diane's idea, and since she wants to put the baby up for adoption I know for sure that everything at the house is Debra's doing."

"You're aware of your wife's inappropriate behavior. Have you discussed things with her regarding her actions?"

"I tried, believe me I really did. She won't listen to reason." Sounding as desperate as Diane was when she spoke to Connor in the hospital Robert was truly at a loss of what to do with the situation. "Debra is convinced that because Diane is her daughter then that means anything Diane has, including her own children, somehow belongs to Debra through a biological connection. It's sickening."

"Has your wife continued to pursue the baby despite Diane not informing her of the baby's current location?"

"Yeah. From what I've seen through our financial records Debra's using her influence to try to find the baby and claim custody behind Diane's back."

"It's not her right to determine custody. That decision can only be made by Diane and Colin, not her."

"I know. That's why I'm helping Diane with this adoption. From what she's told me you've been a very helpful and trustworthy person for her to rely on, and since you took the baby I know she's right about you. I won't let my granddaughter be affected by her own grandmother's selfish and oblivious behavior."

"Thank you, Robert. I will do my best to raise the baby as any respectable parent would."

"I just have one request." Turning to face the closed office door Robert pressed his right thumb against the electronic panel and unsealed the room to allow Connor access to the office where Diane and Colin were already waiting for him. "...Promise me that you'll protect the baby with your life, and you'll have my blessing."

Without hesitation Connor pushed back the sleeves of his gray jacket and his white dress shirt covering his left forearm to show Robert the still healing burn to the limb, and how the intense heat had temporarily warped his plastimetal frame beneath his regenerated artificial skin. "I promise."

Nodding with shocked respect Robert stepped aside and let Connor into the office. "Then, do what you need to do, Connor. Take care of the baby."

* * *

With the adoption papers signed and the certificate filed for approval Connor returned home with his head held high and a faint smirk on his face. Opening the door quietly Connor was greeted by the sight of Hank slowly rocking Hannah in his arms as he sat in the recliner and offered her a bottle of formula. The sight looked completely natural for the gruff Lieutenant, and it was clear that the baby had a very positive impact on Hank's mind just as she had on Connor's still developing heart.

"Hey, son." Hank greeted without even looking up from Hannah's face. "Everything taken care of?"

"Yes. The adoption certificate has been filed and will arrive in the mail soon." Looking down at Hannah as she contentedly rested in Hank's arms Connor knew he had made the right choice in going through with the adoption. "I met Mr. Wemilat as well, and he has given my his blessing with the adoption."

"That's a good sign."

"I agree, but I suspect his wife won't let the baby go very quietly."

"She's still obsessed, huh?" Putting the now empty bottle aside Hank readjusted Hannah so she was leaning against his left shoulder as he gently began to pat her back. "Is she annoying Diane?"

"No, Debra has apparently redecorated a bedroom in her house for the baby, and had decided the baby's name is 'Priscilla'."

"_Priscilla_? Jeez, every time I hear that name I think of Elvis and how he died on the toilet. Not a great association for an innocent kid."

Connor's head tilted slightly as he sat down on the couch next to the recliner and watched as Hannah happily snuggled into Hank's shoulder in the same manner she would do when Connor held her. "How did you pick Cole's name?"

"It just came to me the moment I held Cole in my arms for the first time, and Barbara really liked it, too. He was named 'Cole' because it felt right, and his middle name was 'Lucas' just like my own."

"...Interesting."

Realizing he never knew what made Connor pick Hannah's name Hank was now curious about its origins. "Is that how you chose Hannah's name?"

"Well, actually I-" A knocking at the front door cut Connor off mid sentence and drew the deviant's attention elsewhere as Hannah let out an annoyed sound in response to the intrusion. "Strange." Getting up from the couch Connor answered the door and was met by an unknown woman standing outside the front door waiting for the door to open. "Yes?"

"Are you Mr. Connor H. Anderson?"

From the young woman's tone of voice Connor knew something was happening, and his blue L.E.D. cycled to a cautious yellow as a result. The fact she was addressing him by the signature used in the foster care program and adoption record was unsettling as well. "...Yes. I'm Connor."

Passing the deviant a sealed document she took a step back from the door and gave him a 'I'm so sorry.' glance. "You've been served."

"...Served?" Eyeing the document he had been handed Connor slowly stepped back inside the house and closed the front door. Returning to the couch Connor opened the document and quickly read over the details which caused the yellow L.E.D. to settle on red. "...Oh, no."

Sensing the distress Hank leaned forward and stared at the document clutched in Connor's right hand with disgust. "What's wrong, Connor?"

"...Everything." Sinking down into the cushions of the couch Connor passed the document over to Hank as he took Hannah from the senior detective and held her against his chest in a supporting and comforting manner. As he stared at Hannah's face Connor felt his heart filling with dread at the idea of what the document could mean for the tiny baby's future. "...Debra Wemilat is suing for custody over Hannah."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	8. Rights, Morals and Beliefs

Stunned but not deterred by the court summons Connor resided himself to the livingroom as he cybernetically downloaded every piece of legal advice and detail he could use to his advantage during the hearing, and potentially keep things from going to trial. As he sat on the couch well into the late night he held Hannah swaddled in her soft white baby blanket in his arms, and he looked down at her face with a undeniable and indescribable need to protect the tiny infant at all costs. Looking into her dark blue eyes Connor swore she was looking right back up at him with complete understanding of what was happening in the crazy world around her.

"Don't worry, Hannah." Whispering to the baby he had taken on as his own child and was determined to legally call her his own daughter, Connor did everything he could to keep her feeling safe and reassured. The soft blue glow of his L.E.D. was the only light in the dark livingroom, and pulsed in a gentle tandem with his own beating heart. "I've been summoned to court to fight for your custody tomorrow, but I will fight until the very end and I will succeed. My new mission in life is to keep you safe and happy, and I always accomplish my mission."

Hannah let out a big yawn around her purple pacifier causing the small item to roll down her chest and come to a gentle stop in the folds of her blanket. Watching as Connor, her adoptive father, replaced the soother in her mouth Hannah seemed to snuggle down and cuddled in next to Connor's chest as if trying to comfort him.

"Your biological parents have already signed over legal guardianship to me and everything has been filed. Your biological grandmother is a woman with great power and influence who merely wants you as an extension of herself, not to love you as you deserve as her granddaughter. It's not right that you should be seen as an object to be possessed rather than the innocent life that you are. It's okay though, because I see you for who you are, as does Hank."

Very lightly Connor rubbed his right index finger along Hannah's left ear where her short hair was already steadily darkening into a deep brunette color in an unexplainable urge to offer comfort to Hannah with the simple gesture.

"Hank was the first human- _Person_, to see me as me. The people who created me, CyberLife, treated me like a disposable tool to do their dirty work and to take the blame for their own failures, while simultaneously using me to redeem their reputation in the eyes of the public and take credit for my successes. I was no one to the very people who created me. I was just a thing that they could control and do with as they please. Hank saw me as a person, I believe my appearance reminded him of a young rookie cop, and he treated me as such. It was nice to be treated as a person, not a tool. I'm very grateful for the way he treated me in the past and the way he treats me now. Without Hank I wouldn't have deviated and would've perished last winter during the Revolution, and you... You wouldn't be here right now. That's a very strange and upsetting thought for me."

As midnight neared Hannah began to drift off to sleep and closed her eyes slowly as she made small content noises.

"I may not be your biological father, I'm not even biological in the true definition, but I will do my best to be your dad, Hannah. I get the feeling Hank would like to take you on as his granddaughter in time. He's been a father figure to me, at least I think he has. As I've never had a father I don't know what it's supposed to feel like to have one, but I imagine the way he treats me and looks out for me is a paternal reaction. I also like to think that if I were in fact a human child in need of a guardian Hank would step up to protect me just as I'm stepping up to protect you."

Standing up from the couch Connor held Hannah to his chest as he walked down the hallway to his bedroom to put her down for the night in her crib when he noticed Hank standing at the end of the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest, and a gleam of restrained emotions in his blue eyes.

"Hank?" Seeing the senior detective at the end of the hallway was a little surprising, but not shocking. The blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow before returning to blue as he stared at Hank in the darkness of the hallway. "Why are you still awake?"

"It's hard to sleep when you know you have to go to court the next morning, Besides," lightly Hank put his left hand on Connor's right shoulder as he gave the deviant a proud smirk. "I could hear you speaking with Hannah. Even harder to sleep when you can hear a one-sided conversation down the hallway."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You didn't, it's fine."

Nodding a little Connor continued down the hallway as Hank slowly let his hand fall from the deviant's shoulder Connor walked into his bedroom and placed Hannah down in her crib to sleep for the night. Silently Connor took a step back from the crib and looked toward his opened door where Hank was watching him with a prideful smirk that was visible even in the darkness.

"Hank... What am I going to do if I can't keep Hannah?"

"Hey, it'll be fine."

"...I know I'm in the legal right and by all account there is nothing Debra can do to stop me, but she has a lot of power, money, influence and I'm... I'm just an android. A defective machine in the eyes of the humans who are still anti-android."

"No way, son. You've fought too long and too hard to just let some crazy bitch with too much time and money ruin things."

"I promised Hannah that I'd protect her and be her father. What if I can't keep my word?"

"You will, Connor. Just be patient and tell the truth about everything that's going on."

"I hope you're right and that it will be that simple."

"To be honest kid, it's never that simple. But you can handle it. Do it for Hannah, your _daughter_."

"...Yes. You're right." Peering down at the sleeping infant's face Connor sighed tiredly and gave Hank a confident nod. "I'll fight for Hannah for as long as it takes to bring her back home."

"Damn right. I'll be in your corner throughout the whole fight cheering you on."

"Thanks, Hank. I'm glad you're supporting me through this."

"To be honest with ya' kid, even if we weren't so close as friends I'd still be supporting you just because I don't want that crazy bitch to screw up any more innocent kids with her selfishness and money."

"I want the same. I've been downloading every potential law and right I can use at my disposal to remain as Hannah's guardian despite a claim by a biological relative attempting to take her away from me, yet I fear it won't be enough."

"No lawyer, huh?"

"No. I don't trust that a human lawyer would be able to argue my case without constantly referring to me being an android, and accidentally creating a strange bias or a debate regarding machines taking care of humans. As for an android lawyer, I have already downloaded the proper programming and database one would use, and thus I don't need one to represent me."

"You've gone through all of that, dedicated a portion of your own brain and memory just to this one moment for tomorrow and you have a valid case against that rich-bitch that any sane judge would side with. Why are you so nervous?"

Pausing for a moment Connor glanced at the baby's sweet, calm face and felt his developing heart begin to ache. "...If I can't convince the judge that Debra has no legal right to take Hannah how do I convince the judge that I'm a better parent than Debra could be? I don't have children, I didn't even have a childhood, and I-"

"Look, tomorrow Alicia will take Hannah and remain an impartial third party seeking the best outcome for the baby." Silencing the deviant's righteous worries Hank tried to offer words of soothing encouragement for the upcoming court summons. "Don't worry about Hannah during the trial, you just tell the judge everything you just told Hannah and make sure the judge sees how much you care about her. In the end everything will be alright, I promise."

The advice made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash back to yellow before turning to a rapid blue pulse in his right temple. "...How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know you think I'm a good influence on you. And you're damn right I want to take Hannah on as my granddaughter. Someone's gotta' teach you how to be a dad, and who's better than me?"

Grinning at the comment Connor let out a slow breath to steady his nerves as he sat down on the edge of his bed with the intention of entering rest mode for the night. "I can't say for sure who'd be better than you, but I don't think it matters because I don't think such a person even exists."

"Good answer. Now, just try to rest and by tomorrow you'll be able to bring Hannah home and make her an official member of the family." Stepping out of the bedroom Hank made his way down the hallway to return to his own bedroom for the night. "I have a feeling tomorrow you're going to see exactly how much your good work is going to pay off."

Laying down Connor rested his head against his pillow and ignored his own yellow L.E.D. pulsing in his temple as it created an amber hue throughout the otherwise dark room. Turning his head to look at Hannah sleeping in the crib a few feet away from him Connor sighed and then turned onto his right side so he could face the crib then slowly closed his eyes.

"...You'll be okay, Hannah. I promise."

* * *

Thanks to Debra Wemilat's influence the hearing was swiftly scheduled and Connor found himself sitting in the courtroom as the lone defendant against the entitled woman, and her trio of highly reputed lawyers. Recognizing the massive obstacle he'd have to overcome Connor glanced back over his left shoulder to see Hank sitting behind him, and received a confident nod from Hank as the senior detective showed no fear and almost seemed to have a smug glimmer shining in his blue eyes.

Everything in the courtroom was painfully quiet save for the few inaudible whispers and the nervous shuffling of feet from the other people in attendance at the courthouse. Catching the snicker of Debra as she spoke with an unbearable arrogance to her team of lawyers Connor remained calm, cool, collected and above all else he was confident. Deep down inside Connor knew he had everything working in his favor, and as a detective he'd be able to defend himself just as well as any lawyer could.

From where he stood beside the stand the bailiff called out to the court to announce the judge's arrival. "All rise for the honorable Judge Partisan."

The judge entered the courtroom and took his place at the head of the stand as he brought the court to order. He was a man in his sixties with a gray hairline that was thin but still noticeable, a matching gray goatee that was perfectly groomed, and aged hazel irises that shone out from the crow's feet that surrounded his eyes.

With a single glance the judge looked over at Connor with mild confusion, then over to Debra where his eyes lit up with familiarity before he read over the docket. "Mrs. Debra P. Wemilat, I see you're suing a Mr. Connor H. Anderson for..." As his eyes went wide with confusion his brow knitted and he again gave Connor an odd glance before returning his full attention back over to Debra. "...You're suing him for _child custody_?"

"That's right, Douglas." The fact that Debra had the nerve to address the judge by his first name rather than his title spoke volumes of her arrogance. Standing before the courtroom as if she were putting on a show Debra glared daggers at Connor and turned her nose up at the deviant as she returned her attention to Judge Partisan. "This is all merely a formality since I clearly have the right to parent the baby."

"Who's baby are we discussing?"

"Diane's baby, Douglas. She and her boyfriend were reckless and now it's up to me to provide a good role model for the baby to have."

"...And where does Mr. Anderson play into this?"

"That android works for the police and it thinks it has the right to the baby just because it happened to find the baby after her heartless father abandoned her in a rotting house."

The comment had an expectedly enraging impact on Connor's mind that made his blue L.E.D. flash to red before he forced it to cycle to a more cautious yellow. Realizing that he was about to be demonized, as were Diane and Colin, Connor ran a scan over Judge Partisan's file and noted that he had a friendship with the Wemilat family and through professionalism alone needed to recuse himself. Patiently Connor awaited for his chance to speak in order to argue his case in a calm and logical manner.

"Mr. Anderson," addressing Connor with a confused tone Judge Partisan noticed that the deviant was alone. "did you not hire an attorney?"

"No, Your Honor. I've elected to represent myself."

"That is your right, but you are aware of the adage: 'A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client.' And that still rings true to this day?"

"Yes, Your Honor. I'm aware of the risk and I'm willing to take it as I believe it'll give me the best potential outcome."

"Very well, then this hearing will proceed." Nodding at both Connor then Debra the judge set about reading the documents presented to him. "I can see from the police report that the baby was rescued from an abandoned house that had been targeted by an arsonist, who has since been arrested and sentenced, and that Sergeant Connor Anderson was the detective who rescued the baby." Turning his attention back to Connor the judge continued to read the case file. "I also see that Seargeant Anderson specifically joined the foster care program to take care of the baby as well."

"Yes, Your Honor, that's correct." It was time for Connor to speak up. 'If I may, I'd like to make a rather bold statement and please understand I mean no disrespect toward you."

As his brow arched Judge Partisan gave Connor a slight nod and confirmed he could speak up. "Alright, go ahead Sergeant."

"Your Honor, I believe you should recuse yourself from this case."

There was a collective muttering from the witnesses in attendance and Debra's hollow gray eyes went wide with annoyance rather than fear.

"Oh?" Remaining professional and seemingly unbiased Judge Partisan asked for more details. "Why's that, Sergeant?"

"Before you had earned your place as a judge you were Mr. Robert Wemilat's personal attorney. You've received a hefty sum of money from the Wemilat family for the past twenty-two years for your own personal charity. You've been seen at numerous other charity events and associating with the Wemilat family, while also promoting their personal businesses. By all account you are too close to the plaintiff and cannot possibly be seen as being fair in this case due to a perceived and well known bias."

As much as Judge Partisan didn't want to back down from the case he knew he had no choice. Connor was right and the entire city knew it. "In light of your claim I must agree. My attendance can be seen as highly prejudicial and I must effectively recuse myself."

While Connor let out a small sigh of relief Debra began to protest loudly. "Douglas! Why are you listening to a machine? _I'm_ the one you should listen to!"

The bigoted remark made the courtroom mutter slightly louder until Judge Partisan banged his gavel twice. "Order! Quiet! Debra," turning to look at the snooty woman the judge remained firm in his decision. "I cannot in good conscience remain the judge overseeing this hearing, I'm sorry. We'll take a brief recess and a new judge will take my place."

A third bang of the gavel ruled his decision and Judge Partisan begrudgingly took his leave of the courtroom.

Sitting back down Connor closed his eyes and felt a firm hand on his right shoulder. "...I think I did the right thing, Hank."

"You did, son." Whispering as to keep Debra and her lawyers from hearing them speaking Hank continued to give Connor support. "You getting that judge that was clearly in Debra's pocket out of the courtroom was one of the best possible moves you could've made."

"I think it upset Mrs. Wemilat."

"Well, she can go fuck herself. She can't buy the law, no matter how much money she has."

"What if she tries to dismiss and reschedule this hearing?"

"Won't happen. She wants that baby as soon as possible, and she thinks she's untouchable." Without glancing at the abominable woman Hank made sure Connor knew he was doing everything right. "It's that type of misplaced invincibility that's going to be her downfall, son. Just wait and see."

* * *

Staying perfectly quiet at his table Connor closed his eyes and ran through the details on the facts to ensure he had plenty of evidence to back up his statement as he prepared to speak up again and stop the hearing from ever going to trial, and to take his rightful custody over Hannah. While he sat at the desk in silent contemplation Connor could hear Debra scolding her team of lawyers in a low voice about how they better not fail her, and that without her dear friend as a residing judge she felt like her donations had meant nothing.

It was all just selfish whining to which Connor instantly felt disgusted.

Twenty minutes passed when the bailiff received an update on the hearing and took control over the courtroom again. Speaking in a loud and clear voice the bailiff brought the court to full attention once more. "All rise for the honorable Judge Dana Cato."

Repeating his actions from before Connor stood up as requested and ran a scan over the new judge. She was in her mid forties, had raven black hair with gray streaks running throughout the neat bun that kept her hair in style, her chocolate brown eyes were aged but still alert and her overall demeanor was one of pure professionalism that didn't belong to anyone else in the city.

"I've reviewed the evidence that has been presented," Judge Cato announced as she took her seat at the judge's bench and acknowledged both Debra and then Connor with an indifferent glance. She had a large electronic tablet screen showcasing all the required details, and presented the case that had brought the hearing into action. "and I believe I can make a determination during this hearing without needing to take the case to trial."

Connor's eyes widened a little while Debra's smugness returned as if she had already won.

"Mrs. Wemilat, as the plaintiff I would like to hear your side of the story in regards to seeking custody of this child."

"Of course, I'm more than happy to tell you why I need to exercise my right to take care of that sweet little baby..."

The feigned sweetness of Debra's voice made Connor's instincts as a detective want to call her out, while Hank wanted to slap her across the face until the botox wore off.

"No machine can_ possibly_ understand what it takes to be a loving parent." The opening statement was less of a proclamation of compassion toward Hannah and more of an insult to all androids throughout the entire city. "As the baby's biological family I have every right to raise her, and raise her _properly_ as opposed to letting her live under the cold hands of a heartless machine."

Judge Cato was more confused than moved by the response. "Can you please elaborate?"

"Gladly. Androids don't have children, they don't even have a concept of life. They don't give birth they are produced in a factory. They are disposable and not fit to parent any child. It's one thing to have an android cleaning your house, but it's completely different to expect one to actually raise a child."

No one in the courtroom was moved by the hollow commentary.

"I raised my daughter with pride, and even though she made a simple mistake I still love her and I want to help her handle the mistake as best as I possibly can." With an insincere smile on her face Debra motioned to a young woman sitting in the courtroom a few benches behind herself, and gave Judge Cato an equally insincere follow-up. "As you can see I have the family nanny with me, and she'll be assisting with the baby as soon as this silly hearing is over."

The arrogance and hollowness of Debra's words were truly sickening.

"The baby will have the best care, live in a large and comfortable mansion, go to the best private school in the city and never know the scrutiny of where she came from as a result of her parents' mistake."

Unsurprisingly no one was moved by Debra's supposed selfless act.

Without batting an eye Judge Cato looked over to Connor and asked him the same question. "Mr. Anderson, I'd like to hear your side of the story. Why do you want custody over the baby?"

"Your Honor, I wish to retain custody over Hannah because she needs me, and I need her. I admit that as an android who never had a childhood and as a model that has no experience with childcare I am at a disadvantage, however I feel it's important to remind Mrs. Wemilat that no one knows how to be a decent parent until after they have a child to care for. To claim I am by default an unfit parent because I haven't had any previous children is illogical, irrelevant, and undermines all first time parents throughout the entire world."

Debra audibly scoffed at the heartfelt and honest response to her previous statement.

"I'd also like to go on the record as stating that I understand adjusting to a new life that revolves around tending to a new addition to the family can be taxing and at times stressful, but I won't be alone. My best friend, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, does in fact have experience with children and has sworn to help me with raising Hannah if I have any questions, or need some advice." Nodding to Hank as the senior detective watched the hearing with pride Connor vouched for his character in a genuinely gracious manner. "Hank took me in after the night of the Revolution and helped me to reclaim my career as a detective. He gave me a home, helped me keep my job and gave me a family. I've learned from him that kindness truly begets kindness, and I when I found Hannah trapped in the burning house I had this inexplicable desire to show Hannah the same kindness and compassion Hank has shown me."

Judge Cato gave Connor a faint smile and her warm eyes lit up as Connor's statement resonated throughout the courthouse. "Is that why you joined the foster care program? So you could take in the baby and keep her safe?"

"That is correct, Your Honor." Taking in a slow breath Connor steeled himself and explained everything that had happened on the night of the fire. Recalling how Nurse Giles showed him how to properly hold Hannah, feed her, change her diaper, swaddle her and soothe her Connor confirmed he knew what needed to be done to properly care for the baby, and how social services had also examined the house when Diane wanted to legally hand over custody to Connor. "I may not have an endless fortune to my name or a nanny to rely on, but I can ensure that Hannah will have everything she needs to be healthy, happy and well adjusted. Through Hank's own generosity I was able to bring Hannah home the night I was approved for foster care and give her a warm bed to sleep in, clean clothes to wear, fresh formula to drink and a quiet home that was more personal and comforting than a hospital."

"Your Honor!" Debra shouted with an indignant response. "That machine just admitted it's coasting on another person's charity to live! Is that truly a way for a child to be raised? By begging for help and relying on other people for hand-outs?"

"Actually," Connor spoke up quickly but managed to keep the disrespect from his voice as he responded to the purposefully misleading statement without the slightest hesitation. "as I stated before Hank assisted me with regaining a life after I gained my freedom on the night of the Revolution. I don't 'beg' for money and I earn a biweekly paycheck that allows me to purchase whatever it is that I, and now Hannah, will require. I've remained in Lieutenant Anderson's home because he asked me to stay as his friend. In time he will be purchasing a larger residence and has asked me to join him to ensure that either myself or Hank will be available to watch over Hannah, and ensure she is protected by myself as her father and by Hank as her honorary grandfather."

From the bench behind Connor the unflappable senior detective dragged his right hand over his bearded chin and mouth to hide his amused smirk at Connor's fearless rebuttal, and watched as Debra's lips disappeared into a thin line of aggravation.

Impressed with Connor's responses Judge Cato urged him to continue. "So you will be a hands-on father figure, while your friend will be there as a moral support for you and an emotional support when necessary, and he will be a grandfather for the baby. That's commendable."

"Thank you, Your Honor."

"I see you have passed several inspections from social services... For the most part."

"Most part?" As his L.E.D. blinked in red Connor tilted his head a little and asked for clarification. "May I ask what that means?"

"While Alicia Wallis found your home and your accommodations suitable the baby's personal case worker, Sandra Osmond, wasn't impressed."

The revelation made Debra smirk with unjust smugness as she whispered arrogantly to her lawyers.

"If it's okay to ask, what was it that Mrs. Osmond found unacceptable? She wouldn't speak to me when I asked questions."

When Connor mentioned Sandra's impersonal nature Judge Cato gave him an odd glance and Debra's lips disappeared again. "What do you mean she didn't answer your questions? Her file states that you had no interest in her inspection, and wouldn't interact with her."

"Untrue. And if I may approach the bench I can prove it."

As before the courtroom fell into an ambience of shocked muttering while Debra shouted in protest. "Your Honor! Why are we disputing a social worker's report? It's her JOB to make sure all children are safely placed!"

"Because Mrs. Sandra Osmond is also a friend of Wemilat family." Connor responded sharply as he kept his eyes on the judge. "I didn't realize it until I had noted the connection between the Wemilat family and Judge Partisan. As such I have the right to prove that I have provided a proper home despite the social worker's clear bias against me, and to prove that her judgment had a personal ulterior against me and toward the plaintiff. It's prejudicial."

The muttering became slightly louder and Debra paled a little.

"Mr. Anderson," Judge Cato gestured toward Connor with her right hand in an inviting manner. "I would be very interested in seeing your evidence."

Holding his head up high Connor walked over to the bench and retracted the artificial skin from his right hand and placed his palm down on the electronic tablet that Judge Cato had been using to review evidence. Closing his eyes Connor uploaded his memory from the social worker's visits and proved that Sandra had been intentionally cold and neglectful toward Connor, while also proving she didn't once check in on Hannah herself. The memories also showed the house that had been rearranged to accommodate Hannah was perfectly clean and organized, and showed that everything Sandra had claimed about the house being an unfit environment was all a lie.

Judge Cato sighed as she reviewed the footage and gave Debra a stern glance. "Mrs. Wemilat, to what affiliation to do you have with Mrs. Sandra Osmond."

"I don't know what you mean."

"The report that she had filed with this case doesn't match the evidence I'm being shown." Ending the footage on the tablet she nodded at Connor to return to his seat while she reviewed the details with a terse voice. "Her report stated that the house was unkempt, which was clearly untrue, overrun with a disobedient dog, which was also clearly untrue, and she even went as far as to say that everything acquired for the baby was dirty, broken and improperly maintained. Nothing in this report lines up with the evidence that has been presented to me today."

"Well, clearly the machine is altering those images to hide its mistakes."

"Mrs. Wemilat," Judge Cato was not all impressed and gave the snooty woman a disappointed stare. "by that logic it means Mr. Anderson knows what an ideal home looks like but chose to alter recorded memories as opposed to setting up the house in such a way to begin with. Not only does that make no sense, but in comparison to Alicia Wallis's report everything I saw and everything she reported lines up perfectly. It's quite clear that Mrs. Osmond had a bias against Mr. Anderson and toward you from the very beginning."

Debra shot Connor an embittered glare as her lawyers instructed her to be quiet.

"Now I'll ask you again, how do you know Mrs. Sandra Osmond?"

"I don't see how that's relevant."

Once more Connor spoke up respectfully and calmly. "Your Honor," standing up from his seat Connor closed his eyes and cybernetically relayed the information he just downloaded on Sandra Osmond over to her tablet screen to view for herself. "I have documented proof that Sandra Osmond and Debra Wemilat are too personally connected in such a manner that Mrs. Osmond's report can be invalidated due to a prejudicial manner."

Judge Cato examined the information and gave Debra a fairly annoyed glance. "Mrs. Wemilat, your connection to Sandra Osmond is in fact prejudicial. You have been friends since high school, and you're still friends to this day. You were a bridesmaid in her wedding, you are her own daughter's godmother, and you run a small real estate business together."

"Your Honor, we-"

"Save it..."

Gently Connor spoke up again to provide additional details on the matter at hand. "Your Honor, I would also like to point out that I was served my court order yesterday after Mrs. Osmond left the house. Mrs. Wemilat didn't know that Hannah's custody had been signed over by her biological mother, Diane Wemilat, nor would Mrs. Wemilat know where I live. She also referred to me as 'Connor H. Anderson' which matches my signature on the foster care program acceptance perfectly. I believe if you request phone records from Mrs. Osmond's person you will-"

"I'm very aware of what I'll fine Mr. Anderson, thank you." Removing the details from her tablet screen Judge Cato turned her attention to Connor and addressed him in a collected tone. "Mr. Anderson from what I've seen through your own eyes and from what Alicia Wallis has confirmed your home is in fact an ideal location for a baby to grow up. Sandra Osmond's report has been excluded and will not be held against you." Focusing on Debra again Judge Cato gave the snooty woman a stern glance. "Mrs. Wemilat, you have tried to use biased tactics in this hearing not once, but twice. Please speak with one of your three attorneys regarding prejudicial evidence and why it cannot be admitted in a trial hearing, or a court of law without you being charged with perjury."

"Your Honor," Debra refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing and was determined to win the hearing and gain custody over Hannah. "what does it matter? I'm the baby's grandmother, and that machine is just a prop in the police department."

From the back of the courtroom a young voice spoke up in a firm tone as she approached the bench. "That 'prop' saved my baby's life, and has taken better care of her in the past two weeks of her life than you ever did for me throughout my entire life!"

The mutter commotion of courtroom resumed as dozens of eyes turned to lock onto Diane Wemilat's face as she and Colin, the young couple holding hands bravely, walked through the courtroom to speak up on Connor's behalf.

"Diane!" Debra stood upright and faced her daughter as if trying to scold her. "Be quiet!"

"Your Honor," Diane refused to back down and spoke to Judge Cato in the same respectful manner as Connor had been doing. "I have something important for you to see that proves my mother has no right to Hannah."

"Diane Nicolette," Debra was losing her patience. "I said be quiet."

"I won't. Not anymore."

Judge Cato banged her gavel twice to silence the courtroom and regain control. "Order! Silence!"

Connor glanced over at Diane and saw that she had something in her right hand, and knew she was pushing past her own fears to do the right thing on behalf of Hannah. Hearing her call the baby by her name was a very grounding feeling for the worried deviant.

"Young lady," peering down from the bench toward Diane and Colin standing between the plaintiff and defendant Judge Cato asked for some clarification on their sudden appearance. "who are you and what is this evidence?"

"My name is Diane Nicolette Wemilat." Confirming her name Diane nodded at Colin who was holding onto her left hand for dear life as she made sure the judge knew exactly who they were, and why they were in the courtroom that day. "This is Colin Eric Orwell. We're Hannah's biological parents, and we've already signed over full custody to Connor in a private, _closed_ adoption." Shooting her mother an icy glare Diane held up the document in her right hand that proved everything had happened, and that her mother had no right to claim custody over Hannah. "The only people who knew of the adoption taking place were Colin and myself, Connor, my father and Hannah's social worker. My father swore he'd never tell my mother of the adoption, which means the only reason my mother knew where to find Connor is because that Sandra woman called her and _illegally_ told her about the baby's location."

Debra tried to speak up again but her three attorneys simultaneously silenced her before she had the chance to try to argue or accidentally admit to something else that would just cause her more problems.

"Your Honor," Diane spoke up again. "may I approach?"

Judge Cato was thoroughly intrigued and curious as to what Diane had her in hand. "Please."

Without any hesitation Diane took a step forward while Colin reluctantly let her hand go, and presented the document to the judge. "This is the written physical proof that Colin and I are Hannah's biological parents. Blood work, D.N.A. and fingerprints to confirm our parentage and identities have been included." Placing the document down for the judge to review Diane showed her next a second piece of evidence tucked alongside it. "And this is the legally signed and notarized document confirming that Colin and I relinquished our parental rights over Hannah and signed sole custody over to Connor. My mother has no right to be near Hannah, and here's the proof."

Connor watched as Diane handed over everything that confirmed that Connor himself was already legally Hannah's guardian, and silently watched as Diane passed Connor over his own copy of the paperwork to keep.

"This arrived in the mail this afternoon, Your Honor." Diane explained as she returned her attention to the judge. "Otherwise we would've been here sooner to speak up on Connor's behalf."

"Well, legally this all lines up." Judge Cato stated firmly as she gave Diane a curious look. "But I have to know why you chose Connor if you didn't want to keep your baby, and not let a family take her in after you fell pregnant."

"The only reason I ended up pregnant to begin with is because my mother _sabotaged_ my birth control."

The muttering of the courtroom returned with a low vengeance. "...Ex-Excuse me?"

Diane took in a deep breath to keep her emotional resolve strong as she relayed Judge Cato the same story she had told Connor when he initially took her statement at the hospital well over two weeks ago. Confirming that she was also going to press charges against her mother for physical assault, and that she had the evidence turned over to the police for investigation, Diane let the judge know that Debra had offered Colin one-hundred thousand dollars for the baby as if she were a piece of property, and not a living, breathing, feeling person.

The courtroom began mumbling to themselves in utter shock and disgust at the horrible story being told. As soon as they knew the truth about how the baby even came into existence everyone's view of the famous Wemilat family quickly soured.

"Diane!" Shouting angrily as she stood up Debra's eyes narrowed and her face reddened. Shrugging off her lawyers' hands as they tried to get her to sit back down and be quiet Debra was ready to tear into her only daughter for telling the truth. "You need to stop! You need to the tell the judge that you want to give the baby to me! You need to-"

"ORDER." Judge Cato was getting angry and had heard enough of Debra's mouth that afternoon. "Mrs. Wemilat I strongly suggest you sit down and be quiet until I've finish rendering my verdict."

"No! That baby is _mine_!" Debra was on the verge of shouting and her face was getting redder by the second. "She can't take the baby away from me! I've waited so long and I already have everything ready! The baby _belongs_ _to_ _me_!"

"One more word out of you and you will be held in contempt."

The three lawyers were quick to pull Debra back down into her seat and kept 'shushing' her to keep her from blurting out any more damning information against her own case.

"Diane," Judge Cato returned her attention to the bold teenager courageously standing before her, and handed her back the documented information. "you've told me a heartbreaking story about why you don't want your mother to have custody over the baby, but you've yet to tell me why you want Connor to have custody."

"Your Honor, Connor was the first person to listen to me, _really listen to me_, and never once tried to judge me. He showed me true compassion and understanding that I had never known from either of my parents. My father couldn't even be bothered to show up court today today to support me because he's afraid of my mother. " Her admission was truly sorrowful and full of heavy emotions. "I then learned that Connor was the one who braved the burning building to rescue Hannah and then stayed with her in the hospital to ensure she was safe and healthy." Turning to give the deviant a kind smile Diane knew that she had made the right decision to give Hannah over to Connor. "He's sees her as a person in need of love, not a 'thing' to be showcased around town for photographers, used for a false sense of love, then ditched with the nanny for the rest of her life. I've been in the courtroom since my mother claimed Colin and I were reckless and that she needed to be a role model for Hannah, but not once did she call Hannah by anything other than 'the baby'; like she's property. Connor gave her a name, a _real name_, and went through everything he needed to keep her in his life. He actually walked through fire to save her life, and he was burned in the process. My mother couldn't be bothered to hold my hand when I was sick as child when we were living under the same roof."

Judge Cato gave Diane an odd look before she peered over to Colin still standing back from the bench. "Colin? Do you have anything to say in regard to this matter at hand?"

"I... I think Connor is the right choice." Taking a moment to clear up his voice Colin took a step forward and stood beside Diane where he told his own perspective of the incident. Telling the judge about his own father trying to pay to have Hannah killed and how his friend betrayed his trust Colin confirmed that he agreed with Diane, and wanted Connor to take sole custody over Hannah. "...He seems to really care about her and doesn't care who she is, or where she came from. All he wants to do is protect an innocent child, and I think Connor is the best guardian for Hannah compared to her biological relatives."

"Well, this is all very compelling testimony and with the evidence I've been presented, specifically with the biological parents' confirming the legally documented and valid adoption, I see no reason to go beyond this hearing and grant full custody to-"

"YOUR HONOR!" Debra shouted angrily and was on the verge of throwing a temper tantrum as she shot to her feet and dismissed her lawyers trying to keep her from getting out of line again. "NO! THE BABY IS MINE! I DEMAND YOU-"

Judge Cato banged her gavel twice more and demanded her silence. "Order! Be quiet."

"NO!" Ready to get up and fight the judge herself Debra began shouting louder as her face became a singular shade of dark red. "THAT BABY BELONGS TO ME! I GAVE BIRTH TO DIANE AND DIANE GAVE BIRTH TO HER! IT'S MY _RIGHT_ TO HAVE THE BABY! IT'S MY _RIGHT_ TO TAKE HER! DIANE NEVER WOULD'VE EVEN HAD THE BABY IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME!"

The courtroom fell silent as Debra had unintentionally openly confessed to tampering with Diane's birth control with the intention of taking custody of the baby away from her after causing her to become pregnant against her will. It was all an elaborate plan but Diane and Colin didn't play along as she had expected.

"ORDER!" Banging her gavel three times Judge Cato had enough information to make her final ruling, and wanted nothing more to do with Debra Wemilat. Silencing the vulgar woman the judge looked over at Connor and made her final decision. "In light of this recent outburst as well as the abundance of evidence in the defendant's favor; not to mention the already dated and officiated legal documents regarding the baby,_ Hannah_," she stated firmly as she finally recognized the baby by her own name. "I rule in the defendant's favor and grant full custody of Hannah to Connor H. Anderson."

Debra let out a frustrated and childish scream that made everyone in the courtroom wince at the intense and psychotic sound.

"I'm also granting a restraining order toward Connor H. Anderson, Lieutenant Hank Anderson and now Hannah Anderson against Debra Wemilat. In the event Mrs. Wemilat gets within two-hundred feet of the Anderson home, or attempts to hire a private investigator or anyone else to get close to the family on her behalf Debra Wemilat will do a six month _minimum_ jail sentence."

The additional victory made Diane and Colin cry with relief as they held hands and had confirmation that their daughter would be safe from Debra.

"No trial will be necessary and this hearing is adjourned." With the final bang of the gavel Judge Cato ruled in Connor's favor and gave him a respectful nod. "Good luck with parenthood, Mr. Anderson. I wish you and your family well. Next case!"

Connor's soulful brown eyes went wide with stunned shock as his yellow L.E.D. flashed to blue and a faint smile crept on his face. "...I can keep Hannah."

Diane and Colin rushed over to Connor give him a quick hug before they took off from the courthouse entirely to get away from Debra, and to speak with their own lawyer regarding the impending assault case they had built against her. Hannah had been taken care of, but now it was Diane and Colin's turn to get justice.

Debra herself was nearly hysterical with anger and had to be escorted out of the courtroom by all three of her lawyers, the nanny, and the bailiff to ensure she didn't try to attack Connor or make things even worse for herself.

Realizing that he had successfully fought and won custody over Hannah the victory filled Connor's heart with warmth as he stood up from his chair, and turned to look at Hank behind him who was now standing as well. "...I did it. I won, Hank. I... I have a child now."

"I knew you'd win." Putting his right hand on Connor's left shoulder Hank gave the deviant a proud nod of the head and warmly congratulated him. "Congrats on being legally declared a father, kid. Now," motioning toward the doors Hank urged Connor to get walking. "let's go see your daughter..."

_ **-next chapter-** _

**Author's Note: **I'm NOT savvy when it comes to legalities and terms, so forgive me if this isn't 100% accurate. I don't want to see a bunch of reviews in regards to the errors as the point of this story isn't about legal details but of how the belief of who is a fit parent being based solely on biological connections is flawed, and that only the people who are qualified to care for another life should be granted those rights regardless of what a D.N.A. test shows. Any such review will be deleted, and I don't want to hear any nitpicking. Especially since by all account this story taking place in 2039 could have very different laws from what we have now.


	9. Homecoming

Despite the victory in his favor Connor was still understandably nervous as he paced about the corridors of the courthouse with his quarter dancing nervously over the knuckles of his right hand, and his L.E.D. pulsing in a wary amber hue. Knowing that Debra Wemilat had already attempted to undermine the law and use her connections to get her way and take custody over the baby Connor was righteously worried that she was going to try to ambush Alicia and kidnap Hannah, and he couldn't help but preconstruct every possible outcome of such a devastating scenario.

"Connor, sit down." Hank urged as he rejoined the deviant with a smile on his face and Alicia right beside him. Hannah was napping and swaddled in the same white blanket that Connor had wrapped her up in before Alicia took Hannah for the duration of the hearing, and she was carrying the supplied diaper bag on her right arm. "She's right here."

"...Hannah." Seeing the tiny baby asleep in Alicia's comforting arms made Connor stop mid stride and his yellow L.E.D. cycle back to blue. Pocketing his quarter Connor happily took Hannah back from Alicia and held her up against his chest so she could rest her head against his left shoulder, then slipped the diaper bag over his right shoulder. "...Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad everything worked out in your favor, Connor. And I'm sorry that Sandra tried to pull that stunt behind your back."

"I'm grateful for your honesty in the report that contradicted Sandra's false report against me."

"It helped that you showed the judge your home through your own memories. I know that for deviants sharing their memories in such a way in a very invasive and uncomfortable feeling."

"It was for Hannah, therefore it was worth the brief discomfort."

"Good to hear. I'm going to go back to the social services office and help review Sandra's past reports regarding deviant and childcare. I have a hunch that she has a history of bigotry that needs to be brought to light."

"Yes, of course. Thank you again for your assistance." Rubbing his right hand along Hannah's back Connor seemed entirely at peace as he fell into a natural behavior of fatherhood. "We all appreciate your help."

Hank approved entirely of Connor's paternal demeanor and gave the deviant a gentle pat on the right shoulder. "Well, are you ready to take Hannah back home?"

"...Not quite. I still need to finish one more detail on Hannah's behalf before we can leave."

"And what's that?"

"Her middle name. She has a first name and now a last name, but not a middle name."

"Well, what did you have in mind?"

Connor's jaw squared a little as his blue L.E.D. briefly flashed to yellow before returning to blue. "...A part of me wants to name her after her mother, but I also want-"

"Connor?" Diane approached the deviant from behind with Colin still lovingly at her side. As the deviant turned to face her Diane let tears run down her face as she handed Connor a sealed envelope to take for himself. "...That's a letter that we wrote for Hannah to read when she turns eighteen."

"A letter?"

"We wanted to tell her what happened in our own words so she knows the truth, and knows that whatever you may end up telling her as she grows up and asks questions is the truth, too. We don't want Hannah discovering who her biological parents are by reading the tabloids, or news articles regarding her unstable grandmother. We thought this would be easier for her to handle if she goes looking for answers."

"...I understand." Accepting the letter Connor tucked it into his gray jacket's interior pocket to keep it safe. "Are you two going to be okay?"

"Yeah, uh... The report we have against my mother is pretty solid and regardless of the outcome I get the feeling my mother is going to be sent to the psych ward for a proper diagnosis and treatment. I love my mother, I really do, but she can be such a pain to deal with."

"What of your plans after the trial?"

"I'm going to go back to high school and get my diploma."

Colin nodded and spoke up as well. "And I'm going with her. If I can make up for my lost work I can keep my scholarship and got to the University of Michigan next fall." Taking Diane's hand in his Colin squeezed tightly in a reassuring manner. "Hopefully Diane can come with me and we can begin a new life together away from all of this mess in a new city."

Hank stepped forward and gave the young couple words of encouragement. "That's the right attitude. Don't let one little mistake in your past become a massive problem for your future. Hold your heads high and keep moving forward, you both deserve to have a happy life."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

Diane let out a little sigh as she wiped away her tears and refused to look at Hannah sleeping in Connor's arms. "...Just take care of Hannah and let her know she's loved. She's a person to be loved, not an object to be possessed."

"I will, Diane. I promise."

As the young couple tearfully took their leave of the courthouse, Colin wrapping his left arm around Diane's shoulders as he pulled her up against his side to hug her as she wept with pained tears over leaving their daughter behind, Connor knew that his decision to take care of Hannah and keep her away from Debra was the best possible outcome that Hannah could've ever had.

"Come on, son." Hank returned his hand to Connor's shoulder as he pulled the deviant away from the young couple. "Let's go get Hannah's name taken care of so we can head on home. She needs to be home where she belongs."

"...Yes, of course." Glancing down at Hannah's face around the blanket Connor's primary thoughts were for her, and her alone. "She deserves to go back home and be able to grow up in a normal, healthy environment."

* * *

The eventful day came to an end and Connor had all of Hannah's finalized paperwork in his hand as he and Hank drove back to the house with Hannah still sleeping in the car seat behind them. Connor scanned over the documents and found everything to be perfectly filed and officiated along with the certificate and record for her adoption in his own custody. It was all over; Hannah was legally now Connor's daughter, there was a restraining order against Debra Wemilat, and the obsessed woman had no ground to stand on if she tried to sue for custody a second time.

"Thank you for helping me through this, Hank." Connor slipped the documents back into the brown envelope, then slipped Diane and Colin's letter inside of the envelope to be read only by Hannah if and when the time came. "I don't know if I would've been able to handle this type of stress without you there to help guide me through the heavy emotions involved with childcare."

"It's no problem, son. I'm happy to help you." Glancing at the envelope in Connor's hand, then up at Hannah's reflection in the rearview mirror, Hank asked the young deviant what he had chosen for Hannah's middle name. "So, what's her full name? Please tell me you didn't go with something like 'Priscilla' or 'Bertha'."

Connor paused for a moment before he answered, and gauged Hank's reaction. "...I chose the middle name of 'Nicolette'."

"After Diane? That's a good idea."

"...And Cole."

Hank's brow arched slightly and his blue eyes glazed over for a moment before he responded. "...You named Hannah after Cole?"

"And you."

As his brow arched even higher Hank gave Connor a totally perplexed glance as the car pulled into the driveway beside the house. "You _what_?"

"...That's where the name 'Hannah' came from." Explaining the origin of the first name seemed to make the pieces of an unseen puzzle fall into place for the senior detective, and a faint smile appeared on his face as Connor continued to explain his logic. "I was told that often when a parent cannot select a name for their child based on their own preferences that the parent would often choose to name their child after a family member or a close friend. In my case I couldn't select a name that I liked, and you are both my family and my friend."

Hank was stunned into silence as he parked the car in the driveway and turned off the engine. Unsure of what to say Hank just put his right hand on Connor's left shoulder and patted twice in quiet appreciation.

"...Is that okay?"

"Y-Yeah. It's okay, son. I'm... _honored_."

"You seem upset."

"I'm not upset. I'm just shocked. I didn't see that coming."

"I'm sorry. I should've-"

"No, kid. Don't be sorry." Nodding once Hank opened his door and stepped out of the car to head toward the house. "It's a huge compliment and you have no reason to apologize for choosing her name. Like I said, it's an honor. It's just one I didn't expect to have."

"Oh." Opening his own door Connor pushed the front passenger seat forward so he could get to Hannah and carry her inside the house, inside her _home_, and get her permanently settled in. "...In time Hannah will need her own bedroom to sleep in. Perhaps I should-"

"If you're about to volunteer to sleep on the couch until she turns eighteen and heads off to college the answer is an emphatic 'NO'. Once she's about a year old we'll move into a slightly bigger house so we can have our own bedrooms, and stay close together as a family."

"A family." Holding Hannah to his shoulder again as he carried her toward the front door Connor noticed that Hannah had woken up and was now watching him with her big blue eyes. "I like the idea of us being a family. She won't have a mother, but if she has a father and a grandfather I think she'll feel like she grew up in a supportive home."

"Damn right." Unlocking the front door Hank opened the door up wide and let Connor carry Hannah inside the house to be where she finally belongs. As the lights in the livingroom were switched on Hank saw that the livingroom had been filled with boxes of diapers, extra bottles, blankets, clothes, toys and propped up in the corner of the livingroom was a massive chocolate brown teddy bear that was easily taller than Connor and Hank. "...Shit. I knew the precinct was going to drop off some extra supplies as a 'Welcome Home' gift for the baby, but I didn't think they'd do _this_ much!"

Connor glanced about the now filled up livingroom and noticed that Sumo was laying next to the giant stuffed bear in the corner with his chin resting down over one of the bear's legs.

"...Why'd the precinct donate so much for just Hannah?"

"Because it's what we do. It happened to Fowler when both of his kids were born, it happened to Ben when his daughter was born, it happened to me when Cole was born and it recently happened to Chris when his son was born. Fortunately Tina didn't join the force until _after_ Cole was born, otherwise I'd have two of those giant damn bears to deal with."

"How do you know the bear is from Tina?"

"Because she got one _exactly_ like it for Chris when his son was born last year. It's her annoying little calling card."

Hannah began to fuss a little, and Connor proceeded to carry her over to her small swing next to the bear so he could could figure out why she was suddenly so uncomfortable. Kneeling down beside the swing Connor scanned over Hannah's tiny body and determined she must be hungry after spending all day long in Alicia's care due to the hearing, then having to put up with waiting around for some paperwork to be signed.

"I'll see if she'll drink some formula." Connor decided as he stood up from the floor and walked into the kitchen. Placing the envelope down on the kitchen table Connor placed a clean bottle under the tap fof the newly purchased water purifier, then placed the appropriate amount of the powder into the water to be mixed in and dissolved. As he mixed up the formula a curious thought popped into Connor's head and he called out to Hank who was in the livingroom and watching over Hannah from his position on the couch. "Hey, Hank? Why did you go and find Alicia while leaving me to wait inside the courthouse?"

"I had some paperwork of my own to fill out, and I bumped into her on my way back."

"I see." Attaching the lid to the bottle Connor returned to the livingroom and gently plucked Hannah back up from her swing to hold as he sat down on the couch next to Hank to offer her the bottle. Within two seconds Hannah was latched onto the bottle and hungrily drinking the formula. "May I ask what you were filling out?"

"A few more pieces of documents regarding the foster care program and some other details. Nothing you need to worry about."

Connor sat back against the couch cushions as he continued to support and feed Hannah while Hank sat beside him and watched the tiny baby laying content in the kind deviant's arms. It didn't take long for Sumo to get up from the floor and walk over to the couch to lay down and remain close to his masters.

"Hannah Nicolette Anderson." Hank repeated the name and gave Connor a proud smirk. "It fits her like a glove."

"I wonder if she likes it, too?"

"No clue, but if she doesn't like it she can legally change her name at eighteen and pay the fee herself." Giving the deviant a curious stare Hank noted the blue pulsing L.E.D. in Connor's right temple and pressed his right index fingertip against the light. "You were given a name by CyberLife, right?"

"Correct."

Dropping his hand Hank leaned back against the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So why did they choose the name 'Connor'?"

"...Unknown. How did your parents choose your name?"

"First name is to honor my mother's grandfather, so I was named after my maternal great-grandfather. My middle name, Lucas, is my father's first name."

"Yet you and Barbara chose Cole's name simply because you liked it."

"Yup. Names are weird like that." Another interesting question popped up in Hank's head making his brow furrow slightly. "Connor, do you even _like_ your name?"

"I neither like or dislike it. It's just my name. I have no reason to change it."

"Cool. Good to know..."

"Captain Fowler wants us to return to the precinct this coming Sunday. Who will watch over Hannah?"

"I guess you'll have to find a babysitter or a daycare center."

"...I don't think so."

"Why's that?"

"I don't trust Debra Wemilat to not try to make an illegal move to kidnap Hannah. She is very rich and well connected, and I don't want to risk Hannah being put in the wrong hands by mistake."

"So what're you going to do?"

"I'll request assistance from Markus. Numerous deviants seeking shelter at New Jericho Tower were programmed specifically with childcare as their primary function, and I suspect a handful of the deviants wouldn't be opposed to watching over a child for a few hours until I can find permanent accommodations for Hannah as she grows up."

"I used to let the neighbors watch Cole after he came home from school. But what you choose to do is up to you."

Hannah finished off the bottle quickly and was soon uncomfortable for another reason. As Connor repositioned her over his shoulder and gently rubbed her back the tiny baby began to spit up a little and Connor responded to the mess quickly.

"I believe I will give her a quick bath and wash a load of laundry..."

"Good plan, son." Trying to not laugh at the mess Hank just watched as Connor flawless took care of the baby and do everything he needed to do in order to keep her clean and healthy. As he walked down the hallway and into the bathroom Hank reached his hand down to rub Sumo's ears and let out a tired sigh. "I think that little baby is going to be just fine. They _both_ are."

* * *

Barely able to lay down long enough to enter an adequate rest mode Connor was quickly awakened by the sound of Hannah making early morning disgruntled noises from her crib a few feet away from his bed. Opening his eyes Connor sat upright in his bed and looked over at the tiny baby as she continued to fuss in need of some attention. More than happy to accommodate her needs Connor swung his legs over the edge of the bed to stand up and reach into the crib to scoop Hannah up and into his arms.

"Hello, Hannah." Noting that during the night the tiny baby had expectedly soiled her diaper Connor placed her down on the changing table to remove her 'onesie' then clean her up. "It's hard to believe yesterday I was terrified that I wouldn't have you in my life. And yet here you are. You're here as my daughter."

There was a soft knocking at the partially opened door to the bedroom as Hank announced his presence. "You do know she isn't going to be talking for several more months, right?"

"Of course, but that doesn't mean she can't understand what I'm saying right now."

"I guess you're right. Whenever you're ready meet me in the livingroom. Something arrived in the mail early this morning for you."

"...For me?" The idea made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash to yellow with wise caution. "It's not another subpoena is it?"

"Nah, this is something _good_."

"I'd certainly hope so." Having replaced the dirty diaper with a clean one Connor proceeded to pull an equally clean 'onesie' out of the top drawer of the changing table that now doubled as a dresser, and gave Hannah a new outfit to wear for the day. With the clean clothes and diaper Hannah settled down and proceeded to make new sounds in response to Connor's presence. "You seem to be feeling better. But I believe you'd like some formula as well."

Scooping up Hannah to carry in his arms and against his chest Connor exited his bedroom and walked down the hallway to place her down in her swing, and immediately had Sumo getting up from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom to lay down beside her. Connor pet Sumo's ears to acknowledge the sweet mannered dog before standing back up.

"I'll feed you both, then find out Hank's good news."

"Already fed Sumo." Hank announced as he stepped out of the kitchen with a freshly made bottle of formula in his hand. "Now it's her turn."

"Thank you for doing that." As he made a move to accept the bottle Connor was motioned to take a step back while Hank himself picked Hannah back up from the swing before he sat down in the recliner to offer her the bottle. "...Oh. You wish to feed her."

"Hell yeah. I'm her grandfather after all. Let me do my share in helping you take care of her."

"Well, the next dirty diaper is yours then."

"Gee, thanks, son. I appreciate that."

"I'm sure Hannah does, too."

"Smartass." Offering Hannah the bottle Hank seemed to fully relax and resume taking over a paternal role he had never truly given up even after the loss of Cole and only seemed to emphasize after taking in Connor, and now Hannah into his home as his family. "Anyway, look at the coffee table. That's for you."

Connor's brow furrowed as he looked at the envelope on the table and his L.E.D. remained yellow in color. "Curious..." The envelope was very similar to the one that he had received after he had taken care of the final documents regarding Hannah's adoption. What was even stranger what the fact that the envelope was addressed to Hank, and not to Connor. "Your name is on it."

"Yeah, but it's for you. Open it up already."

Without further hesitation Connor picked up the envelope and unsealed it with a controlled grip. Peering down inside the envelope Connor retrieved a handful of legally sanctioned documents and his brow arched fairly high. "...I don't understand."

"What's not to understand?"

"Hank, these documents state that I have... a full name."

"Uh-huh, and _what_ _else_?"

"...It also says you-" the yellow L.E.D. flashed to red then back to yellow as he gave Hank an incredulous stare. "Hank, you... _adopted_ me?"

Giving Connor a smug grin Hank watched the deviant's stunned reaction with great amusement. "You bet your ass I did."

Sitting down slowly on the couch the shock set in then wore off. "...And you named me after you. I'm now 'Connor Henry Anderson'."

"...Is that a problem?"

"N-No. Just... I don't understand why you did it."

"I did it because you were right about Hannah needing a family to love her and protect her. You said that I gave you that feeling and you wanted Hannah to experience it, too. So, I decided to make it official just as you did with her."

"...You really want me to be your son?"

"Connor, you already _are_ my son. You're my _second born_ son, and one that I had no idea existed until you were assigned as my partner against my will. That's all."

Connor was absolutely amazed to know that now he and Hannah were officially members of Hank's family, and there was legal documentation to prove it. "I... I don't know what to say to this. Thank you, Hank."

"No thanks are necessary, son. Just keep being Hannah's dad, I'll do what I can to be your dad, and we'll just have our weird little family here in this weird little city. Okay?"

Nodding a little Connor put the documents down on the coffee table before he stood up quickly and wrapped his arms around Hank to hug his now adoptive father without jostling Hannah in the process. "...Thank you! I know you said not to say it, but I just have to."

Without breaking stride Hank managed to pat Connor's shoulder twice before he resumed feeding Hannah her bottle. "For what it's worth I'm proud to call you my son, even without legal documents proving it."

"I can honestly say the same about being your son, and Hannah's father."

"Yeah, our family is weird but we're going to be just fine..."

_ **-next chapter-** _


	10. A New Beginning

Adapting to fatherhood like a true professional Connor started his first morning back at the precinct since Hannah's adoption by placing his tiny daughter down in a small bassinet placed beside the kitchen table, prepared a warm bottle for her, then set about preparing a healthy breakfast for Hank in turn. As the coffee maker brewed a fresh pot of Hank's coveted coffee with a soft hum Connor flipped over the picture perfect spinach and avocado omelette in the frying pan, and sighed as he decided that he'd also prepare two strips of bacon just to avoid Hank's disdain at the otherwise completely healthy meal.

"Today is the first day where you'll be spending time in the care of a babysitter, Hannah." Connor spoke to his daughter while she laid in the bassinet and made small noises as her small hands explored the small space around her curiously. "You'll be watched by a friend and trusted member of New Jericho. Simon used to take care of a family before he became deviant and decided to fight for freedom. He misses the company of innocent children and he was quite happy to volunteer his time to watch you."

Opening the packet of bacon Connor pulled two strips to place into the frying pan now that the omelette had been cooked to perfection and was sitting on the plate just waiting for Hank to wake up, and Connor was promptly met by Sumo who was enticed by the smell.

"Sorry, Sumo. Bacon is something that Hank shouldn't be eating in general due to its unhealthy nature, and I don't want you to suffer ill effects from eating food meant for human consumption."

Motioning for the massive dog to back away from the stove Connor watched as Sumo grumbled and promptly walked over to the bassinet to sit down and watch over Hannah instead.

"Good boy."

As the bacon cooked Connor heard the sound of Hank's bedroom door opening and closing, and just three seconds later the bathroom door opened and shut as well.

"Hank's awake. He'll be out to join us for breakfast soon, Hannah."

Turning the sizzling bacon over in the pan Connor poured Hank a mug of coffee as soon as the coffee maker finished brewing, and placed it down on the kitchen table. Glancing down at Hannah as she continued to reach out to the world around her and make small noises Connor lightly rubbed her soft left cheek with his right index finger affectionately.

"It's amazing how all humans start out so small and helpless. I promise to protect you for as long as you need me, and I'll help you become strong over time."

Returning his attention to the stove Connor turned off the burner and placed the perfectly cooked bacon down on the plate beside the omelette and placed the plate down on the kitchen table beside the mug of coffee. Just as everything was set in place Hank walked out of the bathroom with his hair slightly damp from his shower and his still tired, bloodshot eyes searching the kitchen curiously.

"Good morning, Hank." Picking up Hannah's bottle from the counter Connor walked over to the second chair at the kitchen table and picked up Hannah out of the bassinet to hold in his arms. Offering her the bottle of formula Connor watched as Hank sat down behind his prepared plate and gave the deviant an appreciative nod. "I hope it's to your liking."

"Well, it certainly looks healthy compared to my usual greasy slop." Hank joked as he poked at the omelette with his fork and looked at all of the ingredients that went into the meal. "Eggs, spinach, onions, tomato... what's that slice of bright green stuff?"

"Avocado."

"Seriously?"

"It's beneficial to your joints and to your memory."

"Are you calling me old?"

"No, I'm merely stating facts."

"Uh-huh..." Choosing to pick up one of the strips of bacon first Hank took a large bite out of the unhealthier alternative and gave Connor a smug look before he glanced down at Hannah as she nursed from her bottle. "Do you hear the way your dad talks to your papa? Don't let him get away with that."

"I don't think Hannah has the current vocabulary required to make such a proclamation."

"Never assume, kid." Finally using his fork to pick up a small piece of the omelette Hank took a reluctant bite and decided he didn't hate it. "...Alright, that isn't too bad."

"I won't make the same thing for breakfast for you every morning if you don't want me to," adjusting Hannah slightly Connor continued to offer her the bottle and watched her to make sure she didn't drink too fast and give herself a tummy ache. "but I won't allow you to skip breakfast anymore, or only eat fast food as your meals."

Smirking a little Hank just shook his head and leaned back in his chair a little. "Sounds like your paternal instincts are kicking in full force."

"Why do you say that?"

"You were pretty insistent about keeping my diet as grease free as possible after we were assigned as permanent partners after the Revolution, but now you're going out of your way to make sure I eat healthy and don't pig out on bacon. That's something a good father would do."

"I suppose I had a good role model to follow."

"Nice try, kid." Taking another bite of the omelette, much bigger than the previous bite, Hank kept a sly grin on his face as he finished off his breakfast and sipped at his coffee. "But your flattery won't undo the fact you called me old earlier."

"See? The avocado has already improved your memory."

"Smartass." Laughing as he cleaned his plate Hank rose from the table and put his dirty dishes down in the sink to be washed later. "Alright, I'm going to go get changed and we can head out to New Jericho Tower to drop Hannah off until our shift is over."

"Of course." Putting the now empty bottle down on the kitchen table Connor rested Hannah up against his right shoulder and gently pat her back to make sure she didn't have any painful gas and proceeded to walk down the hallway to get her diaper bag packed. "Once Hannah's ready to go I'll feed Sumo and we'll head off to the tower."

* * *

As the old car idled at the red light in the heart of the city Connor looked at Hannah sitting in her cat seat in the rear of the car as she stared forward and suckled on her pacifier. The small baby was already three weeks old and she was thriving beautifully under Connor and Hank's care at her new home. Watching as his adopted daughter remained perfectly content in her car seat and watching as her blue eyes stared forward with a bright and alert demeanor Connor wondered what she was thinking in that moment.

"Do you think Hannah know she's going to be watched over by a friend this afternoon?"

"No clue, son. I suspect she'll figure out a pattern of behavior sooner rather than later." Peering up at her reflection in the rearview mirror Hank gave his granddaughter a kind smile. "Don't worry about her. She'll be okay for a few hours without us."

"I'm aware, but with her initial birth being so traumatic I don't want her to think she's being neglected a second time."

"It'll be fine, Connor." Pulling through the intersection as the light turned green Hank did his best to reassure his adopted son's worries. "If you trust Simon and the rest of the tower to watch over her then I know she'll be in great hands."

"Simon was programmed as a caretaker before the Revolution, as was Markus. I know she'll be safe as long as she has them watching over her."

"Then why are you so worried?"

Turning back around Connor sighed and tried to ignore the yellow flicker of his L.E.D. shining off the glass of the window beside him. "Despite having a restraining order against Debra Wemilat and having the courts on our side I'm still worried that such an eccentric, powerful and vindictive woman will make another sneaky attempt to take Hannah away from me."

"Hey, you represented yourself in court and had her entire trio of lawyers silent. She's going to be quiet herself for a while to try to save her public image, but I doubt she'll be able to save much face after everyone learned of what she did to her own daughter."

"A plight to which I have no sympathy."

"Good answer." Heading down the long drive connecting New Jericho Tower out on Belle Isle to the rest of the city Hank sighed himself as he realized the week he and Connor had with Hannah had truly come to an end, and now they'd have to go to work and leave her behind. "I think it's safe to say between Hannah having a father and grandfather who are cops, and then having a daycare at a secured tower no one shady will be getting their hands on her."

"I hope you're right."

The old car made its way to the tower and came to a gentle stop out in front of the deviant sanctuary. As soon as the vehicle had stopped Markus and Simon stepped through the front doors of the tower to greet Connor, Hank and now Hannah by the vehicle and to be introduced at long last.

"Thank you for your assistance." Connor stated politely as he plucked Hannah from her car seat and slung her diaper bag over his shoulder. Passing the bag over to Simon who was anxiously waiting to hold onto Hannah for himself Connor gave his friends grateful glances. "I appreciate you taking the time to tend to Hannah and keep her safe."

"It's my pleasure." Simon beamed as he held the tiny baby against his own shoulder and felt fairly normal as his long dormant programming returned to life. "I love spending time with children, and taking care of babies had always been a rewarding part of my original program."

"I'm happy to hear that."

Markus peered at Hannah's face and gave her a warm smile. "To be honest with you Connor having Hannah here is going to beneficial to all deviants throughout the tower."

"How so?"

"Seeing a human who is being cared for by deviants, not because we were programmed to do it and following commands but because we want to do it, will be very grounding and reassuring to the deviants still wary of their own choices. We can do what we want whether it's a part of our programming or not."

"I didn't think of it that way..." With his L.E.D. now back to its calm blue color Connor lightly rubbed his hand up and down Hannah's back as he bid his daughter temporary farewell for the day. "She needed a home and I wanted to give one to her. We needed each other and I already cannot imagine going about my life without her a part of it."

"And I know she'll feel the same way."

"One other thing." Keeping his hand on Hannah's back as she squirmed a little in Simon's strong arms and pulled on his shirt collar Connor let his friends know of his lingering fear for Hannah's safety. "I'm sure you know of the scrutiny surrounding Hannah's biological family, and I wish to protect Hannah from any further legal issues or emotional drama."

"Don't worry, Connor. The only people who will be able to get near Hannah will be Simon and myself, and the only people who we'll permit to take her from the tower will be you and Hank. We won't let anyone get near her."

"Thank you, my friend."

Rolling down the driver's side window Hank called out to Connor and waved him back to the car. "Say 'bye' to Hannah and let's get going. The sooner we finish our shift the sooner we can pick her up and take her back home."

"Yes, of course." Leaning in toward Hannah's left ear Connor whispered his words of affection to her then spoke to her in a slightly louder voice. "I'll be back to bring you back home later, Hannah. Daddy loves you."

The tiny baby let out a small sound around her pacifier as she looked into Connor's eyes and seemed to relax a little Simon's arms.

"Thank you again, Markus and Simon. We truly appreciate your assistance."

"It's our pleasure, Connor." Simon replied as he happily adjusted Hannah in his arms and gave her a kind smile. "Maybe I can convince Josh that having a kid of his own someday can be a pretty amazing experience. I already know it is!"

Markus smirked a little as he gave Connor and then Simon a slight shrug of his shoulders. "Maybe North can see humans in a different light, too."

With a reluctant step backward Connor bid his daughter farewell and returned to the car to head out to the precinct for his afternoon shift. Opening his door Connor sat down beside Hank and fastened his seatbelt back over himself as Hank shifted the car into gear, and began driving back toward the city.

"She'll be just fine, son."

"I know, Hank. But it's still hard to let her out of my sight. She's small and helpless. She needs me."

"Welcome to fatherhood, Connor. The hardest thing you'll ever have to do is let your child grow up and develop on their own, and accept that even when they're tiny and seemingly helpless that they can survive without you." Tilting his head a little Hank tagged on another interesting thought. "At least for a little while."

"I'm just glad you're here to help me out along the way as I learn what it means to be father."

"Well, the first thing you need to learn is no one just knows what it _means_ to be a father, it's something you experience over time through trial and error. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Just own up to your own flaws and make sure she knows that no matter what she's loved and supported, and then everything will be alright."

"You sound so certain."

"Like I said," Hank replied in a confident tone that matched his proud smile. "_experience_."

"You're right." Smiling a little as he lifted up his left palm Connor displayed an image of Hannah from his memory and smiled at his tiny daughter with a deep sense of paternal pride gleaming in his soulful brown eyes. "Yet, I already know that every second I spend learning about fatherhood will be worth it in the end, as long as Hannah is happy."

"Damn right, son." Patting Connor's left shoulder twice firmly Hank gave his adopted son the confidence he needed. "You're already on the right track. You have a beautiful daughter, a big heart, and you're going to be a great father. I can already tell."

_ **-End of Story-** _


End file.
